Building The Ultimate Fantasy

by Stayrr

A young man sat on a chair and looked out at the ocean. With one wisp of Spirit Qi, he could point anywhere on this vast and expansive world, pointing at any place that didn’t look right. Someone once became the last one to wield a knife that could decapitate huge dragons and bathed in dragons’ blood. Someone once loved treating others to chicken soup, so he kept nine phoenixes in

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Chapter 33: Supreme Power… White Jade City

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Great Zhou, capital city.

It was very early in the morning.

The morning sun spread its rays and lit up the world beneath it.

The large and imposing gates of the city capital made a heavy, echoing sound as they slowly opened.

The ground shook beneath the galloping horses, and the sound could be heard outside the city gates.

On the dusty main road were three hundred armored horsemen.

Among the horsemen were four prison carts. The prisoners trembled as the horses swiftly galloped toward the city gates.

When the gates opened, the three hundred horsemen and four carts entered the city.

These three hundred horsemen were the troop Lu Changkong, Beiluo City's City Master, had sent from Beiluo City before the break of dawn.

The troop slowed down as it entered the city.

Both sides of the capital's main street had been cleared by the capital's troops, and the various hawkers and pedestrians were all kept to the side. They looked curiously at the horsemen and prison carts slowly coming down the street, thinking they would see something new today.

Beside Luo Yue stood the leader of the palace guards. They had their hands on their swords as they waited in silence.

They were waiting for Lu Changkong to enter the city.

When they saw him, Luo Yue and the leader of the guards immediately whipped their horses and galloped over to him.

"City Master Lu, this way, please." The leader of the guards made way and bowed slightly on his horse, a respectful expression on his face.

Luo Yue quietly followed behind them.

Lu Changkong was in full armor, and his face was stern. He returned the guard leader's bow, then brought the three hundred armored horsemen to the Great Zhou palace.

Lu Changkong's troops stopped outside the palace gate, then dismounted their horses.

The four prison carts also stopped.

Lu Changkong had started this journey on horseback before daybreak, and he managed to make it to the palace before daily morning court began.

The main palace gate had three arches. The middle one was the highest at thirty feet, while the other two were smaller and stood less than seven feet tall.

Beyond the palace gate was a extremely large plaza filled with white pebbles. This was the royal plaza, and at the end of it was the main hall of the palace, the Harmony Hall, which had large, thick pillars. Ten marble steps led up to the hall, and they were carved with exquisite drawings.

There was a lion carved from white marble on either side of the entrance, and they looked strong and powerful.

There were also vermilion doors on either side of the hall, and they all led to hundreds of rooms. It was an impressive sight, like a long, red-scaled dragon protecting the innermost part of the palace.

Lu Changkong walked inside and removed his helmet, his long hair cascading down his shoulders.

Luo Yue quietly followed behind him.

There were several important Great Zhou officials on the stone steps of the palace. All of them had come out of the palace and were headed to the hall. They all stepped over over the high step at the door and entered the main hall.

Many of these high-ranking officials spotted Lu Changkong,

The news that Lu Changkong had held the fort at Beiluo City and forced Tantai Xuan's fifty thousand troops to retreat had already reached the capital city.

The citizens of Great Zhou had barely been able to breathe after hearing of the attack of the twelve counties, so this was good news.

Lu Changkong's face was grim as he stiffly entered the main hall. vs. straight back

The officials split up and stood on either side of the hall. In the middle of the hall, the emperor was seated on the dragon throne and wore a robe with a golden five-clawed dragon embroidered on it. He was young, but he had extraordinary charisma.

Yu Wenxiu spotted Lu Changkong, and a smile slowly spread across his face.

Morning court itself wasn't all that important. It was just a formality. What was important was the message it sent to the rest of the world.

The prisoners were made up of three Grandmaster martial arts practitioners and a Grandmaster who served under Tantai Xuan. along with who? did he serve too?

After the morning court was over, they were beheaded outside the palace.

The people watched, and the guards of several major families stood in all directions along the main street.

All four Grandmasters' heads rolled to the ground.

…

Lu Changkong held his helmet in one hand as he walked out of the palace.

Outside the palace, a dapper scholar greeted him from afar. "City Master Lu, my teacher would like to have a word with you," he smiled.

Lu Changkong looked at him, but his expression didn't change. "There are many things to be done in Beiluo City, and I have to hurry back. Otherwise, these matters will pile up and will be difficult to deal with. Please tell the Imperial Advisor that I will come back another time and personally visit him to apologize," Lu Changkong replied.

He then put on his helmet and called Luo Yue, who was behind him, to follow him and quickly leave the palace.

"City Master Lu, my teacher has instructed me that you are to go to the study for a chat. My teacher has gained some enlightenment and happens to be doing some research into medical science. So, if you would like, he could possibly treat Young Master Lu's legs," he said while maintaining the gentle expression on his face.

Lu Changkong stopped in his tracks, and his eyes narrowed.

He turned around to look at the dapper scholar, who still had a graceful smile on his face.

Since he had mentioned his son, it would be rude of him to refuse.

"All right, then, since the Imperial Advisor remembers my son, Ping'an. I'll have to trouble you to lead the way," Lu Changkong said as he smiled, his hands clasped together behind his back, and softened his expression.

…

Deep in the city, between the gleaming and glorious large palace buildings, stood a small two-storey building.

It wasn't very ornate. In fact, it looked a little old.

It was a study, and inside it lived the most highly respected elderly man of Great Zhou. The teacher of the emperor, and the teacher of all the Confucianists…

The dapper scholar brought Lu Changkong to the entrance of the building and stopped.

Even though he had a high position, he wouldn't dare to step into the study without the direction of the Imperial Advisor.

Lu Changkong walked into the minimalist courtyard by himself, as Luo Yue was stopped outside.

Since the dapper scholar couldn't go in, he certainly couldn't either.

Lu Changkong removed his armor and walked with his hands behind his back. The courtyard was very small, but there were several plants in it.

In front of the study door, someone was lying on a long bamboo bench, and they reeked of alcohol.

He was a middle-aged man. His hair was loose, and he was wearing the usual Confucianist robe, but the top was open.

He held a large flask of wine in his hands. His clothes were a mess, and he was clearly drunk. Occasionally, he belched a smelly burp.

He was also muttering some poem or article to himself.

Lu Changkong looked at him, and his eyes narrowed slightly.

"Sir, I am Lu Changkong, City Master of Beiluo City. I am here specially to see the Imperial Advisor."

Lu Changkong politely clasped his hands together.

The messy-haired Confucianist scholar held onto his flask and drunkenly glanced at Lu Changkong.

He stuck out a finger and pointed it at Lu Changkong, and burst into loud laughter.

"I see! I predicted that Beiluo City was doomed for sure… But it looks like you, Lu Changkong, from a lowly farmer's family, actually got lucky."

The messy-haired scholar laughed uncontrollably, drinking from his flask at the same time.

Suddenly…

A gentle and elderly voice came from within the small study.

"Tianyu, don't spout nonsense." A white-haired elderly man in a simple robe and straw sandals came walking out of the room, holding a bamboo scroll.

The scholar with messy hair suddenly stopped laughing. He shut his mouth and turned his head aside.

Lu Changkong's face had looked fairly nasty earlier, but after he saw the old man, his expression changed.

"Imperial Advisor," Lu Changkong greeted him politely, his hands clasped together.

He couldn't afford to be disrespectful to the man in front of him.

"No need to be so formal with me." The Imperial Advisor gently waved his hand, his gaze landing on Lu Changkong.

He scanned him up and down.

Lu Changkong was at Grandmaster martial arts practitioner level, but he felt a tremendous pressure, as if a great mountain were pressing down on him, when faced with this old man who didn't look like he could even withstand the wind. He felt as if the old man could see through him.

The Imperial Advisor looked at Lu Changkong, and his eyes slowly narrowed. There seemed to be a glint in his eyes.

"I see. Changkong, you've already found a way to cure Ping'an's legs." The Imperial Advisor held the bamboo scroll in his hands and smiled peaceably.

Then, he lifted the scroll and whacked the messy-haired scholar, who was secretly drinking wine out of his flask, on the head.

"Tianyu, prepare the carriage."

The messy-haired scholar immediately sobered up, and looked puzzled. "Prepare the carriage? Were are we going?"

The Imperial Advisor looked at Lu Changkong meaningfully. "Go to Beiluo City on my behalf. Even though Changkong may have found a way to treat Ping'an's legs, I think you'd better pay him a visit. If Ping'an's legs still aren't healed, I'll try my way…"

"I've always heard about how gifted Ping'an is, but because his legs are crippled, it's difficult for him to make the journey here. If Ping'an's legs are all healed, then I'd like to see him."

Lu Changkong shuddered when he heard what the Imperial Advisor said.

But the messy-haired scholar's eyes lit up. "Does that mean you're taking in a junior disciple? Oho… then that means I won't have to guard this d*mned study anymore!"

…

In front of Drunk Dust Court, Lu Fan was sitting in his wheelchair. His hair was neatly combed back with a jade pin, and he was wearing a headpiece. His lips were red, and his teeth were white. He looked like an elegant and handsome young man. Ning Zhao was standing behind the wheelchair in a long dress, and her hair gently blew in the wind.

Nie Changqing held onto his butcher knife and stood beside Lu Fan.

Lu Fan had one hand under his chin, and his other hand was lightly tapping against the thin woolen throw on his lap. He was squinting his eyes at the system prompt in front of him.

[Side Quest 2: Create Supreme Power from nothing (Current quest progress: Selected Place "Drunk Dust Court" (Chances to rename: 1))]

Rename?

Lu Fan held his chin in his hand, and his eyes flashed.

Earlier, he had saved Nie Changqing, and the quest was considered complete. But now, even though he had selected the place to be Drunk Dust Court, the system didn't consider the quest to be complete.

Quite obviously, in order to create Supreme Power, just selecting a place wasn't enough. He might have to clean up and get rid of some other powers or something like that first.

Lu Fan lightly tapped his index finger against his chin.

What should he change its name to?

The name "Drunk Dust Court" wasn't too bad, since the name faintly sounded poetic. But this couldn't be the name of his branch of power since… it was the name of the most debauched place in Beiluo City.

Lu Fan narrowed his eyes and shifted his consciousness.

"White Jade City of the heavens, five castles and twelve buildings…"

The wind blew gently.

In front of Drunk Dust Court, there was suddenly the sound of faint laughter.

"Since that's the case, I'll rename the building 'White Jade City.'"

A system prompt popped up in front of him and said:

[Congratulations to the host for successfully changing the name of the selected place. Supreme Power "White Jade City" created. Reward: Enlightenment Qi Movement Couplet.]

And then slowly faded out.

Lu Fan's mind was now decided, and his eyes blazed like fire.

He lifted his head and looked at Drunk Dust Court's signboard.

He lifted a hand and slowly rubbed the air in front of him, as if to wipe the words "Drunk Dust Court" away from the signboard.

"Wipe this name away so no one has to suffer seeing it. Starting now, white jade has come to this city. This building should've only belonged to the deities in the heavens, and it should've been rare for ordinary people to see it."

Lu Fan smiled faintly, and Ning Zhao and Nie Changqing trembled behind him as they looked in amazement at Drunk Dust Court's signboard.

The three words "Drunk Dust Court" were slowly wiped away by an eerie force.

And were replaced by three completely different words…

"White Jade City."

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Chapter 34: There Is No One Else Like This Young Man

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

This move was difficult, even for a supernatural being.

The words on the signboard had been wiped away remotely, and there was even a new name in place of the old one. This wasn't simply sleight of hand. He had actually created something from nothing. How could an ordinary human do something like that?!

Nie Changqing took a deep breath. Young Master's way of doing things had once again given him a new perspective on the world.

Ning Zhao was very shocked too, but she quickly calmed down.

After all, the number of miracles the Young Master had performed were far too many to count.

Nie Changqing held his butcher knife, while Ning Zhao stretched her long and fair neck to look at the building's new name.

"White Jade City…" both of them murmured, testing out the name.

"From now on, White Jade City will be my branch of power." Sitting in his wheelchair, Lu Fan massaged his hands and smiled faintly. "You both are members of White Jade City too," he said.

"We are grateful to Young Master for granting us this."

Nie Changqing and Ning Zhao trembled slightly.

Lu Fan supported his chin with one hand and nodded slightly. He was in an excellent mood. "Next time, when you go out, you can tell others that you're disciples of White Jade City…"

"Got it." Both of them nodded.

A gust of wind blew, and the peach blossom petals on the ground were strewn about.

Lu Fan's hair was also blown about by the wind.

As the poem goes, a man in his element is like a jade—there was no one else like the young master.

Ning Zhao went into a daze when she looked at him.

But there was a glint in Nie Changqing's eye.

White Jade City…

It wouldn't be long before this name was known throughout all of Great Zhou.

Perhaps White Jade City would become more powerful than the Hundred Schools of Philosophy.

Nie Changqing used to be an abandoned Daoist disciple, but now he had a new identity… He was a disciple of White Jade City.

And he had a feeling that the title "White Jade City disciple Nie Changqing" would become even more renowned than his old one.

Nie Changqing bent his head and looked at the peach blossom petals scattered across the ground from the blowing wind. Suddenly, his lips twitched slightly, and he smiled.

He used to be an abandoned Daoist disciple, like a dog left behind after its owner passed away. And now he had become a White Jade City disciple.

Everything… was becoming wonderful.

Lu Fan sat in his wheelchair and stared at the three words "White Jade City" on the signboard. Ning Zhao looked at her Young Master in a daze, while Nie Changqing was preoccupied with his thoughts.

At the bottom of the stone steps leading to White Jade City…

The courtesans who had devoted their lives to Drunk Dust Court, and who had fallen in fright after watching the peach trees covering half the island dry up in an instant, now all looked like they had seen a ghost.

The Madam in particular had a horrified expression on her face.

They hadn't seen anyone change the signboard, but… how did the words "Drunk Dust Court" disappear?

They had been replaced with the three words "White Jade City"!

This White Jade City… what on earth was it?!

…

"Sister Ning, get the courtesans to leave Beiluo Lake Island. Give them a bit of money, and make sure they have a place to go."

"I don't want to see anyone else on this island except those who belong to White Jade City."

"Nie, guard Beiluo Lake Island. No one can set foot on the island without my permission."

Lu Fan calmly gave these instructions as he supported his chin on his hand.

"Got it."

Ning Zhao excused herself and slowly made her way down the stone steps to the courtesans and their Madam, who were all still sprawled on the ground.

Nie Changqing nodded. He stood quietly at the door while holding his butcher knife.

Lu Fan then shifted his consciousness.

A message from the system popped up.

[Enlightenment Qi Movement Couplet: Door couplet (Heaven Level Premium Grade Treasure with Enlightenment Qi. Observing thinkers will have a 0.0001% chance of attaining enlightenment. The higher the cultivation level, the higher the chances of attaining enlightenment.)"]

"Put up a couplet?"

Lu Fan raised his eyebrow slightly. Heaven Level Premium Grade Treasure?

His Spirit Pressure Chessboard was a Heaven Level Low Grade Treasure, and this door couplet was actually of a higher grade than the Spirit Pressure Chessboard?

Lu Fan now understood how the system graded the treasures.

There were four levels, Sky, Ground, Heaven, Earth, and within each level there were four grades, Low, Middle, High, and Premium.

"Put them up," Lu Fan confirmed his decision.

Lu Fan then saw that the couplet about the pleasures of life, which was originally on the main door of the building, had been replaced by two vertical signboards made from a black metal.

"The sky is a chessboard, the stars are its pieces."

"The ground is a lute, the roads are the strings."

Lu Fan looked at the two signboards that had appeared from nowhere, and raised an eyebrow.

How interesting.

These two lines formed a couplet, and even though he was just looking at them, he could feel like some sort of force was coming toward him.

Lu Fan rubbed the space between his eyebrows and looked away.

After pausing and thinking about it for a long time, he didn't feel like he had attained any enlightenment.

Alas, things that required luck weren't his thing.

But of course, that could also be because he hadn't reached the level at which he could attain enlightenment.

Enlightenment only came to those who had immense intelligence, or those who had cultivated to their maximum level and reached a stand still, and they were just missing that little bit more to get to the next level. Those people would gain enlightenment more easily.

But Lu Fan really wasn't much like an ordinary cultivator.

"Nie," Lu Fan called out.

Nie Changqing turned his head to look at the young master.

Lu Fan didn't say anything. He lifted his hand and pointed at the two signboards.

Nie Changqing was stunned for a moment.

He shifted his gaze to the couplet.

Hmm?

At first glance, he didn't feel anything.

But when he looked again, his eyes narrowed.

And when he looked a third time, he felt as if he'd been punched in the gut.

PFFT!

He spat out a mouthful of blood.

The Qi and blood within him started booming uncontrollably, and six Internal Resonance Blasts exploded on their own.

It was as if his entire body had been struck by a tremendous force.

DONG DONG DONG.

He took several steps back.

He felt as if a powerful force were pressing down on his body. His eyes became bloodshot as he continued staring directly at the couplet, and his eyes looked like they were going to burst.

Finally, his legs gave way.

With a thud, he fell to his knees, and the green tiles cracked.

Lu Fan raised an eyebrow in surprise.

He shifted his consciousness, and the wheelchair changed direction by itself. He didn't expect Nie Changqing to react so violently.

There was the sound of heavy breathing as Nie Changqing took in big mouthfuls of air. His eyes were all red.

Nie Changqing bent his head down and shifted his gaze away from the couplet. There was indignation on his face.

When he looked at that couplet, it seemed like he had briefly come to a greater understanding of Knife Control Technique.

But the understanding was fleeting, and he was unable to catch it.

"A pity…"

"Your level of Qi Core Realm is still too weak. This couplet has Enlightenment Qi in it, so if you reach a sufficient level of cultivation, perhaps you'll receive a special reward," Lu Fan calmly said as he leaned back in his wheelchair.

Just as he finished speaking, there was a look of surprise on his face as he looked around at Beiluo Lake Island.

In the direction of his gaze…

The peach trees that covered half the island had completely dried up, as if something had sucked the life out of them. Merely breathing on them would turn them to ashes.

And on the border of the island, there were ten plants the color of azurite sprouting out from the ground.

Each plant seemed to have Qi movement within itself, which was close to being released.

"Hmm?"

Lu Fan was surprised. How did those Heaven Facing Spiritual Chrysanthemum seeds sprout so quickly?

But after he figured it out, he laughed.

Once the Heaven Facing Spiritual Chrysanthemum seeds had been planted, they had sucked all the life and energy out of the plants around them to feed themselves.

Plants aren't like humans. They aren't capable of reasoning and only act on instinct.

If a plant was stronger than another plant, it would take over that plant.

Lu Fan rubbed his palms together and his gaze focused a little.

With these ten Heaven Facing Spiritual Chrysanthemum trees around, it seemed impossible to plant any other plants on Beiluo Lake Island, unless they were also plants with Qi.

Lu Fan narrowed his eyes and thought about how half the island would soon be filled with chrysanthemum flowers blowing in the wind.

The wind from the lake blew over him, and it gave him the same sort of relaxed feeling one feels when picking chrysanthemums.

Lu Fan was actually quite excited for these ten Heaven Facing Spiritual Chrysanthemums to bloom and release Spirit Qi to add onto his Spirit Qi Deployment.

This Beiluo Lake Island… will probably become an immortals' island filled with Spirit Qi. A true place to cultivate.

Fill with hopes and dreams for the future, Lu Fan stretched himself out in his wheelchair.

"It's time to go back to Beiluo City itself and settle the problem of the aristocratic families and Sword Sect."

Lu Fan supported his chin on one hand and started playing with a chess piece with the other.

"I've got a good temper, but I'm easily offended. Since some of these things are difficult for Father to settle, I'll do it instead…"

Lu Fan smiled faintly, and there was a strange glint in his eyes.

"Besides, since Beiluo City has White Jade City, it doesn't need any other powers to exist within it."

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Chapter 35: Can't Take Even the Slightest Bit of Humiliation

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

By the lake, the old skipper hugged his paddle tightly as he leaned against the side of his boat. He had a silly grin on his face that revealed his missing front teeth as he watched courtesan after courtesan carry her things and leave Beiluo Lake Island.

From afar, Nie Changqing pushed Lu Fan over on his wheelchair.

Lu Fan closed his eyes a little, trying to sense the speed at which the Spirit Qi within him was regenerating.

Ni Yu was still shaken from what happened with the Heaven Facing Spirit Chrysanthemums, and followed closely behind Lu Fan.

They got onto the boat.

The old skipper rowed energetically, and the fishing boat glided along the surface of the lake and sent ripples through the water.

Ni Yu sprawled on the side of the boat, and experienced her seasickness all over again.

Ning Zhao didn't leave with Lu Fan. Instead, she remained on the island to help dismiss all the people there and clean up the White Jade City building.

…

When they reached the shore, the old skipper wrung his hands.

Lu Fan was in his wheelchair, and he opened his eyes and looked rather meaningfully at the old skipper.

"Give him the money," Lu Fan said calmly.

Ni Yu was still pale in the face, and her legs were still shaking, but she quickly pulled out the bag of money and passed some pieces of silver to the old skipper.

The old skipper immediately broke into a smile.

Lu Fan's customized horse carriage was still parked at the pier. Nie Changqing opened the carriage door and pushed Lu Fan inside, then sat on the driver's seat and picked up the reins.

Ni Yu didn't follow Lu Fan into the carriage, because of her seasickness. Instead, she squatted on the driver's seat to try and calm her stomach.

PAK!

Nie Changqing lifted the reins and suddenly snapped them down across the horses, sending them neighing along the road.

Inside the carriage, Lu Fan slowly lifted up the curtain over the window and looked out at the old skipper, who was holding the silver and hugging his boat paddle, a silly smile on his face.

He looked at the old skipper, and the old skipper looked back at him.

The horse carriage sped off and disappeared down the main road, and they eventually lost sight of each other.

The old skipper looked at the horse carriage, which was now far off in the distance, and grinned, revealing his standard gap-toothed grin.

He held onto his boat paddle and started singing loudly once again. He was wearing his straw sandals, and he leapt rather expertly onto his fishing boat.

It gently rocked side to side and bobbed on the surface of the lake.

…

Inside the carriage, Lu Fan popped up the stats menu.

[Host: Lu Fan

Title: Qi Refiner (Permanent)

Refined Qi Level: 2 (Level 3 progress: 100/1000 wisps)

Soul Strength: 13 (Points for exchange: 2)

Physique Strength: 1 (Points for exchange: 1)

Spirit Qi: 72 wisps (Self regeneration activated)

Transformation Reward: Fantasy Creation Qi Refining Manual

Current World Ranking: Wuhuang Continent (Low Level Martial World)

Access: Quests, Dao Imparting Platform, Spirit Qi Deployment

Sub-access: All Method Furnace (Level 1)]

His Spirit Qi had reached 72 wisps. It's regeneration speed wasn't too slow, but it wasn't fast, either.

Lu Fan fell into deep thought as he stared at the stats page.

Now that his Soul Strength had passed 10 points, he could feel that his senses had strengthened, and he now even had… telekinesis.

For example, he could make his wheelchair turn and move on its own.

The stronger his Soul Strength became, the more apparent its abilities were.

As for his Physique Strength, it was clearly tied to his physical health.

He wanted to increase his Physique Strength, but… what he needed most right now was Soul Strength and Spirit Qi, so he couldn't focus on increasing his Physique Strength at the moment.

"Looks like I have to get more points soon…" Lu Fan muttered to himself.

Lu Fan concluded that there were actually two ways to get points. One way was to complete quests, and the other way was to get it through Transformation Rewards.

This so called "Transformation Reward" could simply be understood as a reward for making a change to this world.

For example, when he deployed Spirit Qi to Ning Zhao and created this world's first cultivator, he received a reward for it.

Perhaps he might be able to receive a reward every time he changed something in this world for the first time.

This made Lu Fan start to think.

…

The horse carriage sped on and reached the rather large gates of Lu Manor.

Nie Changqing helped Lu Fan out of the horse carriage, and Ni Yu carried the chessboard on her back and pushed the wheelchair along.

Yi Yue was already standing at attention in front of the gate, waiting for Lu Fan.

When she spotted Lu Fan getting out of the horse carriage, her eyes lit up, and she bowed slightly. "Young Master, per your instructions, all the people involved have been thrown in jail and await your sentencing," she reported.

Lu Fan nodded slightly. "Good job. Bring me there."

Yi Yue bowed, then walked behind Lu Fan and pushed him to Lu Manor's jail.

Lu Manor was the City Master's residence, so it had a jail inside it to imprison the city's criminals.

As long as there are people, there will be crime. No one could dare say that there's a city where everyone's civilized and there's no crime.

Which is why the role of the jail is all the more important.

The wooden wheels of Lu Fan's wheelchair creaked against the green tiles, and the Lu Manor jail came within sight.

A young general in full armor that shone with a cold glint was guarding the door and waiting for Lu Fan.

Lu Fan wasn't too familiar with who this person was, but this person recognized Lu Fan.

The general came to Lu Fan and greeted him with a fist clasped in one hand. "Assistant General Luo Cheng greets Young Master Lu," the general spoke without sounding grovelling, and sounded fairly impressive.

Lu Fan sat in his wheelchair with one hand under his chin and the other lightly tapping on the thin throw across his legs.

"You're Uncle Luo's eldest son?" he asked after thinking about it for a minute.

Luo Cheng froze for a moment, then nodded.

"Excellent." The corners of Lu Fan's lips curled upward. "What I'm going to do next might involve quite a bit of bloodshed. Can you handle it?"

Luo Cheng was wearing his helmet, and he looked at this Young Master Lu, who didn't at all seem like how the rumors had described him. He replied in a solemn voice, "I have been following the City Master, and I've fought in battles where the corpses pile up like mountains and where blood flows like the sea. There is nothing I cannot endure.

"Before the City Master left, he instructed me to listen to all of your commands and to ensure your safety, so… if you have any orders for me, please go ahead," Luo Cheng said firmly.

Lu Fan nodded slightly. "As long as you're able to endure it. Bring me to see Chen and the rest."

Luo Cheng turned and brought Lu Fan into the jail.

The inside of the jail was a little humid, and it was filled with the stench of mold and other awful odors.

The lights were dim, and there was the smell of blood in the air. There were all sorts of torture devices inside the jail cells, and they even had traces of blood on them.

All the criminals held in the individual cells were glaring at Lu Fan.

They didn't grab onto the bars and shout and beg for help like the people in those dramas and movies Lu Fan watched in his previous life. Instead, they were all seated on the floor and were looking at him numbly yet coldly.

But as he reached the end of the corridor, there was a bit more activity.

"Lu Ping'an! How dare you do this?!"

"We are Confucianists with recognized achievements! If you dare to keep us in jail, you're spitting on our emperor and the great Confucianist Imperial Advisor!"

"Lu Ping'an, let us out now! As an educated man, you should follow the rules. We're all people of good names, so what right do you have to arrest us?!"

Within the jail cell…

All the Confucianists instantly became enraged the moment they saw Lu Fan.

They all grabbed the bars of the jail cell and shouted at Lu Fan, not caring about how they looked.

Lu Fan sat in his wheelchair and frowned.

Nie Changqing kept a hand on his butcher knife and coldly scanned the jail cells.

Yi Yue's expression was also cold, and her palm was already on the long whip attached to her belt.

Lu Fan waved his hand to stop Yi Yue from pushing him further inside.

With a wry smile, he looked to his left and right at all these Confucianists locked up in their jail cells, and eventually burst out laughing.

"What right do I have?" he asked.

"I suspect that all of you are in cahoots with the three major aristocratic families to form a rebellion and ruin Great Zhou.

"All of you know deep down what the three major aristocratic families have done. My father has gone to the capital city, so Beiluo City is currently under my control… what my father doesn't dare to do, I will."

Lu Fan said all this calmly as he looked down at his lap and massaged his long fingers.

Luo Cheng took a step forward with his hand on his sword, and his eyes blazed.

Lu Fan's words had resonated with him, and he could feel his heart race with excitement.

He looked at the Young Master, who was sitting in his wheelchair with his head bent, and his eyes suddenly filled with anticipation.

Lu Fan's words really weren't that terrifying, but some sensed something in his tone and hid in a corner in fear, while the others unthinkingly started shouting all kinds of awful things at Lu Fan.

They considered themselves a class above the rest, and they were acclaimed scholars, so there wasn't anything they didn't dare to say.

They would have even shouted at the emperor like this!

Lu Fan made a face. He had a good temper, but he couldn't bear even the slightest bit of humiliation.

"Luo Cheng."

"Yes, sir." Luo Cheng clasped his fist in one hand.

"Kill them all." Lu Fan gave the order in a calm voice.

Luo Cheng felt himself tremble slightly, but the next moment, there was a glint in his eyes. "Yes, sir."

At his command, the Ironblood troops rushed into the jail cells.

The Confucianists were stunned.

They stopped shouting because… the Ironblood troops didn't waste any time after receiving the order—their cold, white swords rose and came down on each one of them.

Blood splattered all over the walls.

Deep within the jail, Chen Beixun was sitting cross-legged on the floor. He felt his skin crawl when he heard the Confucianists' cries.

Liu Ye and Zhu Yishan were so terrified that they were shivering from fear.

What did Lu Fan want to do? Massacre everyone just because they didn't agree with him?! Were they going to meet the same end as those Confucianists?

The Confucianists's howls didn't last long, and the strong stench of blood soon permeated the air and lingered in the jail cells.

Finally, within Liu Ye and Zhu Yishan's line of sight…

They saw Lu Fan, who was seated in his wheelchair, dressed in white, slowly appear out of the darkness.

His face was as smooth and fair as a jade as he looked at them with a broad smile on his face.

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Chapter 36: Then… Kill Them All

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Lu Fan was seated in his wheelchair, and he looked young and elegant, and his smile was full of warmth.

But to Liu Ye and Zhu Yishan, this smile was vicious and full of malice.

The crippled Young Master of the Lu family, who almost never left the house…

How could he be this terrifying?

"Young… Young Master Lu." Liu Ye forced a smile, which was worse than if he had just cried instead.

Zhu Yishan opened his mouth to say something. He wanted to say which family he was from, but given the situation, it was pointless to, and he might even… be killed sooner for mentioning it.

But Chen Beixun was still confidently seated upright as he sat cross-legged on the straw on the floor of the jail cell, and was resting with his eyes closed.

Even if Lu Fan was going to kill them, he wasn't afraid.

Not only was he from the Chen family in Beiluo City, but he was also a disciple of Sword Sect. If Lu Fan dared to touch him, he had to consider what the Sword Sect would do in response and whether it would cause great turmoil in Beiluo City.

Lu Changkong didn't dare to touch the three major aristocratic families for this very reason.

Therefore, Chen Beixun remained very calm and wasn't alarmed in the slightest.

He figured he wouldn't be in this jail cell for long. As long as he never admitted to any wrongdoing, Lu Fan would eventually send him right back to Chen Manor in due time.

Liu Ye and Zhu Yishan's breathing became quieter.

Lu Fan sat on his wheelchair, his face nearly expressionless.

The Ironblood troops fell in behind Luo Cheng after they finished killing off all the Confucianists. Luo Cheng waved his sword, and all the Ironblood troops quietened down.

The jail was full of the stench of blood, and a misgiving, deadly atmosphere hung in the air.

Liu Ye and Zhu Yishan's legs had already given way from sheer terror.

But Chen Beixun still kept his eyes closed.

He looked very calm on the outside, but inside, he was panicking.

Lu Fan's cruelty and decisiveness were beyond what he'd imagined.

These dozens of scholars were recognized Confucianists, but Lu Fan had just killed them all off like that without so much as blinking or raising an eyebrow.

Once news broke out about this, it would surely shake up all of Great Zhou!

All the Confucianists in court would definitely make a mad dash at Lu Fan and Lu Changkong for what he's done.

Finally, Lu Fan started laughing within the quiet jail.

The wheelchair turned around by itself, and Lu Fan's back now faced Liu Ye, Chen Beixun, and Zhu Yishan.

"I know where your confidence lies… Sword Sect, right?"

"Luo Cheng, hold them down," Lu Fan said.

Luo Cheng followed his instructions and sent men to hold them down.

Yi Yue pushed the wheelchair and slowly walked out of the jail.

Behind them was Luo Cheng, who was leading the Ironblood troops. Cold, gleaming knifes were held to the necks of Liu Ye, Zhu Yishan and Chen Beixun, so they didn't dare to do anything rash.

After they left Lu Manor jail, they came to the main street of Beiluo City.

The people didn't understand what was going on, but they moved off to the sides and looked at the large group of people with awe and curiosity.

On the street, the Ironblood troops were stained with the blood of Confucianists that hadn't yet dried.

They had a hand on their swords as they neatly fell in line and slowly walked ahead. Each step they took seemed to make the ground shake.

The entire group's aim was clear. They were headed for the three major aristocratic families.

Liu Manor was no less opulent than the Chen residence.

Yi Yue's pretty face was cold and solemn as she pushed the wheelchair along at a good pace that was neither too fast nor too slow.

Nie Changqing held his butcher knife as he followed along by Lu Fan's side. Ni Yu carried the chessboard on her back while she held the umbrella over Lu Fan and didn't even dare to breathe too loudly. She knew that Young Master was probably going to do something very important.

Luo Cheng led the Ironblood troops and followed behind Lu Fan.

The dead silence surrounding Liu Manor was a little terrifying.

All of them stopped walking.

Lu Fan had a hand under his chin as he lifted his eyes slightly to calmly look in front of him.

The main gate of Liu Manor was tightly closed.

It was like a turtle hiding in its shell.

Suddenly…

A commotion came from further down the long street. A large group of people carrying farming tools and axes were walking down the wide and long street toward them from afar.

Luo Cheng's eyes focused, and he took a step forward in front of Lu Fan.

Yi Yue's attractive face became even more ferocious, and she placed a pretty hand on the long whip at her waist.

All the Ironblood troops also tightly held their weapons in their hands.

These were ordinary folk working for the Beiluo City merchants. They were congregated together and were angrily wielding farming tools and axes. Among them were a few chanting Confucianists with bloodshot eyes and faces filled with self-righteousness.

They were chanting something along the lines of "Lu Fan killing Confucianists without reason," and that he "wanted to forcibly take over Beiluo City's various assets and turn the people out onto the streets."

It riled up the masses.

All sorts of chants were shouted loudly and clearly at Luo Fan.

On either side of the street, there were some people who weren't really sure what the truth was, and were just hanging around to watch the commotion. Their emotions were also stirred by the chanting, and they started to join in. If the mob managed to do something, at least they'd have something to brag about.

The angry group started with only a hundred people or so but multiplied in a matter of minutes. Now, there were nearly a thousand people in the mob, and they all shouted together, their voices reaching the sky and becoming one.

It was as loud as thunder, and it made one tremble.

"The audacity!" Luo Cheng shouted angrily as he pulled out his sword and glared at the oncoming crowd with large, angry eyes.

Yi Yue had a nasty expression on her face as she tightly gripped her long whip.

Nie Changqing was also a little taken aback by the crowd.

But Lu Fan remained calm. He looked at this angry mob, which looked like it was going to stage a revolt, and seemed a little interested in having some fun with them.

…

At Chen Manor.

There was a round Phoebe zhennan wooden table full of exquisite delicacies.

There was a wide variety of dishes, and each one was rare and expensive.

Several people were seated around the round table and were holding up cups of wine and happily chatting away.

Some of them had sword boxes on their backs with swords inside them, so they looked fairly imposing.

"The City Master's office has come out with a great deal of fanfare, but we all know that water can carry boats, and it can also capsize them. Hasn't it been pretty common in these thirteen counties of Great Zhou for ordinary folk to pick up their pitchforks and kill off officials?

"Lu Changkong left the city for the capital, so Beiluo City is left without a master. That crippled son of his actually dared to show his face in the city, massacre accomplished Confucianists on Beiluo Lake Island, take over Drunk Dust Court, and arrest the heirs to the three major aristocratic families. He has done much evil…

"Ah… he's asking to die."

This was said by a middle-aged cultured-looking man with a faint smile as he drank his wine down in one gulp. He had three swords in his sword box.

Cold laughter and sniggering erupted around the table.

At the table sat the representatives from the Liu and Zhu families, highly skilled fighters from the Sword Sect, as well as several merchants, who had a stake in the people of Beiluo City's livelihoods.

There were smiles on the faces of the representatives from the Liu and Zhu families. Sword Sect was backing the Chens, but now Lu Fan had arrested Liu Ye, Zhu Yishan and Chen Beixun, which was as good as falling out with the three major aristocratic families.

So they could only use their own means to deal with Lu Fan.

They ganged up with large and small merchants, spending quite a bit of money to hire the gang members of Beiluo City and some people who had nothing better to do than cause trouble on the street.

It would be best if they could beat that crippled son of Lu Changkong's to death in the chaos.

They were no strangers to this sort of thing. There was chaos all over Great Zhou, and it was nothing new for an official to be beaten to death by an angry mob. But of course, many of these incidents had been instigated by important families.

Everyone exchanged glances and smiles around the table as they raised their cups and toasted each other.

…

The angry mob was a large, dark mass of people in the distance.

Some of the people who looked like hooligans were hired by the merchants and did their best to rile up the crowd, raising their arms and shouting loudly.

And there were many who joined in, even though they didn't understand what was going on or why everyone was angry, making the mob bigger and stronger.

Lu Fan sat on his wheelchair and played with a chess piece in his hand as he looked at the Confucian scholars leading the way. There was a cold smile on his lips.

They had hired so many hooligans to put up such a huge show.

These three major aristocratic families' money was going to waste.

Chen Beixun was still being held at knifepoint, but he suddenly burst out laughing.

His beautiful hair was blowing in the wind.

"Lu Ping'an, do you see now that this is the end you'll meet for daring to lay a finger on us!?"

"The various factions under the Hundred Schools of Philosophy take charge of various major cities, and Beiluo City will be under Sword Sect's control. This is the way of the world. You can't stop it!"

Chen Beixun laughed loudly and confidently.

Liu Ye and Zhu Yishan's eyes also lit up with hope, and their backs slowly started to straighten.

They seemed to have found a source of confidence.

They were waiting for Lu Fan to succumb to the Sword Sect's pressure and send them back to their homes.

Lu Fan didn't even look at Chen Beixun.

He only turned to look at Luo Cheng. "Are these people… guilty of anything?" he asked calmly.

Luo Cheng narrowed his eyes.

Lu Fan had told him earlier that what he wanted to do next… would involve a lot of bloodshed.

His eyes flashed.

So…

Luo Cheng placed a hand on the hilt of the long sword at his waist, and he lifted his head to look at the incoming crowd, and his gaze gradually became colder.

"Carrying weapons without permission and forming a rebellion are severe crimes!"

The moment Luo Cheng finished speaking, the street quietened down a little. The clamoring voices had been silenced by his words.

But after a moment, there was suddenly an uproar among the thousand-strong crowd.

Not everyone had the courage to rebel and be charged with a crime.

All the people who had joined the crowd for fun or bragging rights immediately turned pale with fear, and many of them made a desperate run for it.

The crowd thinned quite a bit.

Most of the remaining people were the hooligans and gangsters that the three major aristocratic families and the merchants had hired.

The Confucian scholar leading the crowd felt a shudder go through him.

He shouted loudly, "All of us are here to seek justice! You, Lu Ping'an, forcibly took Drunk Dust Court! If we just stand by and allow you to take it, then you will think you can simply take over some other store or restaurant in the future and get away with it, and then this world… will be lawless! We're not rebelling! It's unfair to punish us with the law, since there's so many of us. Instead, justice…"

On the wheelchair, Lu Fan lifted his head, and his eyes landed on the Confucian scholar who was speaking.

He stopped rubbing the chess piece.

His face was as pale and smooth as a jade. He smiled faintly and sighed as he said calmly, "If I say you're rebelling, then you're rebelling…

"Are you fit to seek justice?

"Luo, what happens to rebels?"

Luo Cheng's eyes blazed as he slowly pulled out the long sword at his waist, and the blade screeched loudly against its sheath.

The words leapt out of his mouth. "Those who rebel will be… killed on the spot!"

Lu Fan laughed quietly. "So… kill them all."

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Chapter 37: Blood Stained the Street for Three Miles

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

The entire street instantly fell silent after Lu Fan finished speaking.

"Then kill them all…" It was a plain and simple sentence, and he had said it calmly, but it made many of them… shuddered with fear.

Luo Cheng pulled out the sword at his waist. His eyes were bright and sparkling, and his heart was racing. He'd been waiting for Lu Fan to say this.

"Yes, sir!" he answered readily.

With that, he lifted the long sword in his hands and addressed the Ironblood troops.

"For those who are holding weapons, kill them!"

"For those who are guilty of rebellion, kill them!"

The moment the order fell from his lips, the Ironblood troops behind him made their move, and a deafening "zzzing" sound resounded in the air.

They had all pulled out their swords from the scabbards at their waists.

Chen Beixun's eyes widened in disbelief. He never imagined Lu Fan would be this fearless and decisive!

If news of this got out, Lu Fan would incur the wrath of everyone living in this city!

But, actually, he should have already incurred their wrath for killing so many Confucianists.

Chen Beixun suddenly became a little confused when he thought about this.

Lu Fan seemed ill and frail, like a fragile piece of jade, but compared to Lu Changkong, he was much more wild and bold!

Liu Ye and Zhu Yishan were completely stunned, and their straight backs slumped again after hearing Lu Fan's order.

The three major aristocratic families had joined hands with various merchants to hire a large number of protesters, but these protesters were actually just local hooligans and useless gangsters who did nothing all day long.

But gathering crowds and causing trouble was something they did quite often.

The people were stunned at Lu Fan's order.

But then someone shouted, "You despicable man! We're going to fight this out with you!"

And then the gangster protesters started to move.

The group was stronger in numbers than the soldiers, as most of the Ironblood troops were stationed at the city wall, guarding Beiluo City.

Luo Cheng's little team only numbered ten or so.

But Luo Cheng's expression was cold as he swung his long sword, and one slash of the blade cut one of the gangster protesters in half.

The other Ironblood soldiers were equally cold and resolute. They were soldiers, well-trained elite soldiers, so a group of ordinary folk was no match for them.

Then Nie Changqing made his move.

He wielded the butcher knife in his hands and joined the Ironblood troop.

With the addition of a Six Resonances Grandmaster, the gangsters were definitely no match for the soldiers. The rabble stood their ground for a while, but then many of them broke down in fear before the power of the soldiers and the Grandmaster.

Many of them were terrified, and the various bats and axes in their hands fell to the ground.

They started crying in terror.

"We were only hired to do this. We weren't trying to rebel!"

"We were wrong, we were in the wrong! Please have mercy on us!"

"We weren't really going to rebel… we really weren't!"

…

But none of the protesters' pleas made Luo Cheng feel pity or have a change of heart.

He lifted his hand and swung his sword, and blood ran down the next three miles of the main street of Beiluo City.

The people watching on either side of the street were too frightened to even make a sound. Some of them had joined in the protest and had chanted along earlier for bragging rights. Now, their faces were deathly pale, and they were trembling in fear, about to pee their pants.

In the middle of all this bloodshed, Lu Fan was calmly playing with a chess piece in his hand.

Ordinary folk were no match at all for soldiers.

The protesters were quickly brought under control.

Or, rather, they were all wiped out. Lu Fan had instructed Luo Cheng to kill all the protesters, so he didn't leave a single person alive.

Besides, they didn't need to keep anyone alive. It was clear who had instigated the mob.

Yi Yue put her pretty hands on the handles of the wheelchair and gently pushed it along.

Its wooden wheels rolled over the bloodied tiles of the street, and there was a chill in the atmosphere. The sun was high in the sky, but everyone felt a shiver run down their spines.

Liu Ye and Zhu Yishan had despair written all over their faces. After witnessing the hellish scene, they were trembling inside.

They could very well meet the same end as the protesters.

Their last shred of hope had been completely dashed by Lu Fan.

Chen Beixun remained stubborn, but the slight trembling of his beard showed his true emotions.

BOOM!

Luo Cheng kicked down Liu Manor's door with one foot.

They dashed into Liu Manor.

Inside, privately hired soldiers, who had once been eliminated by Lu Changkong, were wielding weapons, but they were quickly overpowered by Luo Cheng.

There was blood everywhere.

There were some people of high status within Liu Manor, so they were arrested instead.

Some of the martial arts practitioners under the Lius tried to fight back and managed to hold their own against a few of the Ironblood soldiers, but they were soon overpowered, and many of them decided to fall on their swords to escape defeat, their blood flowing from them like a river.

…

At Chen Manor…

A group of people were still chatting and enjoying good wine around the Phoebe zhennan wooden round table.

Suddenly…

A disciple belonging to the Chen family rushed into the manor.

"Bad… bad news!" he said. "The authorities have massacred the protesters and wiped out Liu Manor and Zhu Manor on charges of rebellion. They're now headed for Chen Manor!"

His face was filled with terror. The horrifying scene of blood staining the street had made it difficult for him to breathe.

Lu Fan's decisiveness and the Ironblood troops' cruelty had struck terror deep in his heart.

"WHAT?!" The representatives from the Liu and Zhu families got up and slammed their fists against the table. The strong fighters from Sword Sect were also filled with disbelief.

They were talking about hundreds of ordinary people here. How dare Lu Fan give an order to kill all of them?!

It was largely understood that the law didn't dole out punishment when there were so many offenders at once, but Lu Fan wasn't following that rule!

They thought they could threaten the City Master's office by getting protesters to cause trouble, but they hadn't expected Lu Fan to be completely unfazed and kill all the troublemakers.

There were several representatives from the merchants there who were trembling.

"What are you afraid of? You really think Lu Fan would dare to kill off the three major aristocratic families and all the merchants?"

"If he does, Beiluo City will definitely descend into chaos. We merchants are the ones that help keep people's livelihoods stable, and this is well understood…"

"He's just showing off his power…"

Many merchants at the table murmured among themselves and exchanged opinions.

But the Liu and Zhu families' representatives were pale, and looked close to fainting.

The Sword Sect martial arts practitioners seated at the table also frowned.

"Rumor has it that Beiluo City's City Master's son, Lu Ping'an, has a violent temper because he's been crippled for so long. Now… it looks like those rumors are true."

"But doing whatever he likes will cost him… by massacring the people like this, he'll incur everyone's wrath. Since he's done so much evil, Sword Sect… will kill him today!"

The strong fighters from Sword Sect all held their swords and got up from the table.

The large and small merchants instantly clapped and cheered them on.

The more chaos in Beiluo City, the better. In the chaos, they could do anything they wanted and escape detection and reap better rewards.

But the representatives from the Liu and Zhu families didn't say anything. They felt numb and cold.

"Senior Brother Jing Yue, why aren't you coming with us to kill that demon?!"

Suddenly, the leader of the Sword Sect fighters, a swordsman with three swords in his sword box, looked questioningly at the other side of the table. One swordsman was still seated at the table, enjoying his meal.

But Senior Brother Jing Yue merely shook his head. "Wait a while longer. I've already called on the other six Heroes to come… once all seven Heroes are here, we'll definitely win this fight."

This person was Jing Yue. He was the swordsman who had made a run for it back at Beiluo Lake.

The abilities of the man who had been standing beside Lu Fan had been beyond what he'd expected.

He could never defeat Nie Changqing alone. Of the Seven Heroes of Sword Sect, at least four of them would need to come to have a chance at winning.

"All seven Heroes? Senior Brother Jing Yue, you're being too cautious. With all of us combined, even a Seven Resonance Grandmaster would back down, so why are you so afraid of Beiluo City's City Master's son's two bodyguards?"

The swordsman with three swords in his wooden sword box looked disdainfully at Jing Yue, a glint in his eyes.

But Jing Yue remained seated at the wooden table and didn't say anything. He continued to pour wine for himself.

The swordsman realized that Jing Yue was ignoring him, so he scoffed, and with a flick of his wrist, put two fingers on his sword box.

There was a loud "zzzing" sound as he pulled a sword out of the box and held it in his hand, them made his way out of Chen manor.

The rest of the Sword Sect swordsmen got up from the table and left the hall, and the various merchants followed behind them to watch the fight.

Suddenly…

The first swordsman had just made it out the door of the main hall when he felt his heart jolt, and his eyes widened. As a Five Resonances Grandmaster martial arts practitioner, he had heightened senses and strong intuition.

BOOM BOOM BOOM!

His Qi and blood blasted five times in a row within his body.

A dark shadow seemed to slash down from the sky, and it was cutting through the air toward Chen Manor.

Everyone's eyes became crossed from watching its quick movements.

Then the shadow disappeared and became a black butcher knife.

The swordsman with three swords in his sword box didn't even manage to shout.

The butcher knife had come flying by itself through the sky and had struck him on the head.

He died the minute he walked outside.

The entire Chen Manor instantly became silent.

The strong smell of blood filled the nostrils of the people who had just walked out of the main hall…

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Chapter 38: Grandmaster Swordsman… Escaped Again

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

He died before he had a chance to prove himself…

This was how best what happened to the swordsman could be described.

Any chance to show off his skills had been destroyed by one swing of this knife.

He had walked out of the hall, and his head was cut off by a butcher knife that had fallen from the sky. He didn't even have a chance to defend himself.

The bloodied butcher knife was still floating in the air. It was motionless and dripping with blood.

It was completely silent inside Chen Manor. Everyone was too afraid to make a sound, and were frozen in place like statues.

The other swordsmen from Sword Sect had wide eyes and were completely at a loss for what to do. Or, perhaps they were just horrified.

How… how had he died just like that?!

Back at the Phoebe zhennan wooden round table…

Jing Yue had been enjoying wine when his eyes suddenly widened.

The cup in his hand was filled with wine, but its surface started to vibrate and ripple.

Was he here?

Jing Yue lifted his head.

He knew that tonight was the night that would decide whether or not Sword Sect could take control of Beiluo City.

This son of the City Master of Beiluo City didn't want to play hide and seek with Sword Sect anymore, so he had finally bared his teeth and used a drastic and shocking method to draw the Sword Sect's forces out from Beiluo City.

Before everyone's disbelieving eyes, the floating butcher knife suddenly shrank back and shot forward.

What sort of skill was this?

Controlling a knife without touching it was like something only an immortal could do!

Many of the swordsmen started to tremble.

They looked at the decapitated swordsman on the floor, and then at the butcher knife flying through the air, and their expressions became ugly but hesitant.

In the end, they could only stubbornly walk out of the manor.

Their steps were heavy as they walked out of the main hall, and after about a hundred paces or so, they reached the Chen Manor gardens.

The fake mountain, the pavilion, and the small pond looked like a scene from a painting.

But the air was thick with the heavy stench of blood from cold-blooded murder.

The ten odd Ironblood soldiers of Beiluo City were in full armor and wielding long swords.

Both their armor and swords were stained with blood.

There was a young man seated in a wheelchair at the side of the small pond. He had a piece of bun in his hand, and was throwing bits of it into the small pond, attracting the fish swimming inside it, who started fighting for the food.

Next to the wheelchair was an attractive young lady in a pale, yellow long dress. She had a dimpled smile, and was as beautiful as a flower. There was also a young girl carrying a chessboard on her back, and she was looking curiously at the leftover bun.

A middle-aged man in a black robe stood solemnly next to Lu Fan, his back straight. He raised his hand, and the bloodied butcher knife flew into his grasp.

All the Sword Sect swordsmen and the merchants of Beiluo City, who had just walked out of Chen Manor, felt their hearts plummet into their stomachs.

Creak, crack…

There was the sound of wooden wheels creaking against the floor tiles.

Lu Fan initially had his back facing the crowd, but the wheelchair had changed direction on its own, and he was now facing them. Lu Fan was in a white robe, and he gently rubbed his palms to get rid of the bun crumbs on his hands, then looked calmly at the crowd before him.

The strong sun was starting to slant to the west. It became red, and its rays were like streams of boiling blood.

Lu Fan leaned back in his wheelchair, his eyes scanning everyone before him.

"The thirty-seven merchants of Beiluo City, those protesters… were all hired by you and the three major aristocratic families?" Lu Fan calmly asked after a while, as he bent his head to play with his fingers on his lap.

His words weren't harsh, but every merchant who heard them felt their hearts constrict with fear.

They opened their mouths to say something.

But nothing would come out.

The representatives of the Liu and Zhu families trembled violently. They looked at Liu Ye, Zhu Yishan, Chen Beixun, as well as all the important members of the Liu and Zhu families, who were all being held at knifepoint by the Ironblood soldiers, and their hearts felt like they were being squeezed by an invisible hand.

They knew that the Lius and the Zhus were doomed.

"Lu Ping'an, what crime is the Liu family guilty of? If you destroy the Lius, then all their assets, as well as all their businesses, will collapse! You'll lead Beiluo City to ruin, and we'll never recover from it!"

"And that goes for the Zhu family, too, you demon!"

"Your father, Lu Changkong, is such a reasonable man, but yet he has such an unreasonable and ungrateful crippled son!"

The representatives of the Liu and Zhu families lifted their hands and pointed trembling fingers at Lu Fan. They were so angry that even their beards were trembling.

The various merchants watching on also started to join in, and the Sword Sect disciples started pulling out their swords from inside their sword boxes.

The privately hired soldiers of the Chen family also made their move. They pulled back the strings on their long bows and aimed their arrows at Lu Fan and the others.

The atmosphere became tense—either side could attack at any moment.

But Lu Fan's gaze went right past the representatives of the Zhu and the Liu families and landed on the highly skilled Sword Sect fighters.

The Sword Sect fighters were all carrying wooden sword boxes on their backs and wearing blue robes.

"One of the Hundred Schools of Philosophy… Sword Sect." Lu Fan narrowed his eyes.

The first power from the Hundred Schools of Philosophy he came into contact with had been the Daoists, but clearly, the Daoists' target wasn't Beiluo City.

Instead, it was Sword Sect who dreamt of taking control of Beiluo City.

Going by what Chen Beixun said, the six cities surrounding the Great Zhou capital were probably all controlled by various powers from the Hundred Schools of Philosophy.

Great Zhou was as good as a dish that could be divided up for the taking.

The earlier betrayal of the three major aristocratic families, which allowed Tantai Xuan's troops to enter the city, had obviously been influenced by certain factions of the Hundred Schools of Philosophy.

Nie Changqing opened his eyes and wiped the blood off his butcher knife.

He had actually killed a Fifth Resonance Grandmaster from afar. His hand shook as he held his knife.

This swordsman was a Grandmaster, not one of those useless fancy-looking Confucianists on the recreational boats.

But of course, to a large extent, he'd been able to successfully kill the Grandmaster because of the Knife Control Technique's power, as well as how unexpected its attack was.

Luo Cheng had a hand on his sword, and his face was filled with excitement.

But he didn't act rashly, because he knew that what followed would be the last wave of counterattacks by these people.

Luo Cheng turned to look at Lu Fan. "Young Master, what should we do?"

In the distance…

The representatives of the Lius and the Zhus were still shouting away, hoping to scare Lu Fan, and were laying out the pros and cons of killing him.

The various merchants were doing the same.

Without them, Beiluo City would be a mess in no time.

"Kill them," Lu Fan said expressionlessly as he supported his chin on his hand.

"The world won't stop turning if you're not here, and the same goes for Beiluo City. After you all die, there will naturally be people who will replace you."

Lu Fan's voice was very cold and detached.

Everyone from the aristocratic families and the merchants all instantly fell silent when they heard him.

They started to panic.

"Beiluo City… will be a mess!" one merchant shouted in a low voice with bloodshot eyes.

Lu Fan glanced at him. "So what if it is?

"If anyone thinks he can't continue living in Beiluo City, then he's welcome to leave…

"And he can go and see if Beiluo City or the world out there is more of a mess."

Lu Fan used one hand to support his chin, while the other gently stroked the thin woolen throw on his legs.

Then he spat out two icy cold words:

"Kill them."

Luo Cheng's eyes suddenly blazed.

He drew his bloodstained sword from the scabbard at his waist.

And there was a loud clanging sound.

Luo Cheng had called for soldiers to come over from the front of the city, and they all now appeared in full armor on the wall surrounding Chen Manor. Each one was armed with military-grade bows, and they aimed their arrows at the Chen family's private army, as well as all the merchants, and the fighters from Sword Sect.

The rest of the soldiers directly under Luo Cheng held up their iron shields and stood in front of Lu Fan.

"No!"

"Young Master Lu, we were wrong! Please spare our lives!"

"It was the aristocratic families that made us do it! We're all good and ordinary folk!"

When the merchants saw all the cold and numerous soldiers with bows…

They immediately broke down and knelt on the ground, crying miserably. In the face of death, they felt nothing but fear.

But…

Their crying was useless.

At Luo Cheng's command…

All the archers released their arrows.

All the merchants within Chen Manor were shot and died horribly, and their blood covered the ground.

The representatives of the Liu and Zhu families were immediately shot to death with the arrows before they could even let out a howl.

The highly skilled fighters from Sword Sect were also unable to defend themselves against the combined attack of the Ironblood soldiers. They were surrounded and slashed to death in the mess of swords.

As for Chen Manor's private army, which had once been eliminated before, they were obviously no match for the elite Ironblood soldiers of Beiluo City, and were quickly killed off.

Of course, Lu Fan's side also suffered some casualties and injuries.

The garden was left with nothing but the smell of freshly shed blood in the air.

Lu Fan sat on his wheelchair and suddenly lifted his head.

Far in the distance…

Inside the main hall of Chen Manor…

One lone figure was slowly walking with a cup of wine in his hand.

This was the swordsman Jing Yue, who had four swords in his sword box.

A first tier martial arts practitioner from Sword Sect crawled over to where Jing Yue was standing, his body covered in wounds and blood.

His eyes were full of indignation as he breathed his last and collapsed on the floor.

Jing Yue inhaled sharply, and the cup of wine in his hand trembled.

He threw the cup aside, and wine splashed everywhere.

The setting sun shone brightly on the liquid.

Jing Yue then placed two fingers at the end of his sword box and pulled a sword out of its scabbard, the sound of the sword being drawn ringing in the air.

Six blasts of Qi and blood exploded within his body.

The sword gleamed like fire as it reflected the wine on the floor.

Far in the distance…

Nie Changqing held his butcher knife in his hand and took heavy steps toward Lu Fan, and stood in front of him.

A Sixth Resonance Grandmaster swordsman…

He quietly exhaled, and held his butcher knife more tightly.

Suddenly…

His face fell.

He saw that Grandmaster swordsman Jing Yue, whose Qi and blood had blasted six times in a row, had one sword on the ground under his feet. The sword bowed, then violently sprang upward.

The springing action catapulted Jing Yue onto the rooftop, and he followed the tiled roof-line and ran like crazy.

As Lu Fan watched the man's back as he escaped under the evening sun, he felt a strange sense of déjà vu.

This scene… it looked familiar, like he'd seen it before.

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Chapter 39: Springing on Swords into the City, the Last Stand

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Jing Yue was quite upset.

He was one of the Seven Heroes of Sword Sect, and this was already the second time he had run off without thinking.

It's not like he wanted to leave them and escape. If the other Heroes had come in time, then he definitely would have stayed to fight, but…they hadn't come in time!

If it's true that one's courage and resolve is sharpened by swordsmanship, then his courage had long since eroded, and his resolve had long since weakened.

But he didn't regret it.

Wasn't being alive… a good thing?

He stepped down hard, and his Qi and blood exploded as he ran like crazy along the roof top, carrying his wooden sword box on his back. He was going to run far away from that Chen Manor, which was a highly controversial place.

As a Sixth Resonance Grandmaster swordsman, he was going to easily make his escape, unless Lu Fan decided to stop him… But he didn't think he would.

And he'd bet right. Lu Fan let him go, just like the last time.

He had flown past at least seven or eight rooftops when suddenly…

Jing Yue's heart jolted with surprise. As one of the Seven Heroes of Sword Sect, he was highly skilled. He quickly spun around on the spot, and his black robe flew about him.

His body spun sideways three times, and then his feet landed hard but steadily on the roof, and broke a black tile.

In front of him…

a beautiful figure was blocking his way.

The setting sun's rays shined on her fluttering long, white dress like blood. She looked like a deity.

Her hair was flying in the wind, and her eyes were as pretty as a picture.

She was incredibly beautiful. She looked as if she had walked right out of a painting.

Qi flowed around her and made her look even more like an immortal, as if she had fallen from the heavens.

Ning Zhao looked sternly at Jing Yue, and started activating her Spirit Qi.

She didn't have a sword in her hands, since her Cicada Wing Sword was inside the armrests of Lu Fan's wheelchair.

"Young Master is at Chen Manor, while you have left Chen Manor…"

Ning Zhao's long eyelashes seemed to glow in the setting sun.

She had finished settling everything at Beiluo Lake Island. When she came back to the main part of the city, she heard that Lu Fan was on a killing spree, and quickly hurried over.

And happened to run into Jing Yue as he was escaping.

"Since you're carrying a wooden sword box, you must be from Sword Sect. Young Master wants to make sure Sword Sect is eliminated from Beiluo City… so you cannot leave."

Ning Zhao's red lips parted slightly as she calmly said these words.

"You're Young Master Lu's maid?"

Jing Yue knew who Ning Zhao was, and his expression turned grim.

"You're no match for me, so hurry along… Otherwise, I won't show you any mercy," Jing Yue said.

He didn't want to have anything to do with Ning Zhao, mostly because she was Lu Fan's maid.

He had escaped twice, and Lu Fan didn't touch him. But if he hurt this maid or even killed her…

Then Young Master Lu might hunt him down to the ends of the earth.

After all, he'd heard all about how Young Master Lu of Beiluo City was very petty…

Ning Zhao laughed. She lifted her hand, and two wisps of light blue Qi started flowing through her palm. Her dress started billowing in the wind, and there was determination in her eyes.

This time… she wasn't going to let Young Master down.

She was going to fight!

Ning Zhao placed her small feet on a black tile as her Qi and blood resounded. There was the sound of one blast. Her body looked ghostly under the glow of the setting sun.

Jing Yue's eyes narrowed as six blasts rang out within his body, and he mercilessly drew his sword.

It made sense for him to be afraid of Nie Changqing.

But why would he be afraid of Ning Zhao, a mere First Resonance Grandmaster?

…

Outside Beiluo City, dust billowed across the vast plains.

Horses were galloping.

Four men wearing conical hats and carrying wooden sword boxes on their backs were on horseback and swiftly making their way toward Beiluo City.

The Ironblood soldiers guarding the front of the city, who were on the lookout, immediately discovered them and spread the message through the entire front of the city.

The Ironblood troops made their move. Many of them were waiting at the city wall with drawn bows, and the moment the enemy came near enough, they were going to shoot them down.

But the sound of horses galloping didn't stop, and continued to loudly reverberate as the horses kicked up a lot of dust.

Finally, the soldiers at Beiluo City's wall released their bowstrings, and their arrows shot forward at the same time. The angle of their bows made the arrows fall down like rain and fill the sky.

The four men slid off their horses and stood behind them as the arrows rained down.

The four horses instantly became a mess of arrows.

The sound of swords could be heard as Qi and blood blasted loudly.

The four figures quickly rushed out from beneath the fallen horses and came to the bottom of the battered wall of Beiluo City.

There was a loud clanging sound, and sparks flew everywhere.

They stuck the blades of the swords into the small gaps in the city wall, and could bend and spring back up. Taking advantage of this, they could climb up the wall and fly right over it.

The four of them joined forces to make their way up the wall.

The bulky top-tier generals under Lu Changkong roared angrily and wielded large and heavy knives to attack them.

But these four men in conical hats didn't seem to want to fight, nor did they dare to. If they were surrounded, their martial arts skills wouldn't be of any use, regardless of how high their level, since the random swinging of the large knives might kill them.

The clashing of swords continued.

The four men flew over the heads of all the Ironblood soldiers that had gathered at the front of the city.

Their feet lightly touched the soldiers' shoulders, and they floated in the air for quite a distance.

After they leapt over the Ironblood soldiers and the city wall, they went along the inner city wall. They dragged their swords along it, creating more sparks, and eventually landed within the city.

…

Several miles away from Beiluo City…

Three hundred armored horsemen were unhurriedly making their way along.

Among the three hundred horsemen, a carriage drawn by five horses was swiftly speeding along, its wheels spinning and kicking up fine sand and dust.

These five horses were pulling the Imperial Advisor's carriage.

Lu Changkong was on horseback and in full armor. He was unsmiling.

The carriage's curtain was pulled back, and the messy-haired Confucianist, whose chest was exposed, held onto a wine flask and sat next to the coachman in the driver's seat.

Mo Tianyu drank a mouthful of wine, and said loudly to Lu Changkong, who was on his own horse, "City Master Lu, I feel the urge to draw some divination lots. You want to have a go?"

Lu Changkong's eyes blazed like fire from beneath his helmet, and he glanced at Mo Tianyu.

"Sir, you're a disciple of the Imperial Advisor. Why do you like to practice divination? Isn't divination something only those superstitious types like the Astrology Sect like to do?"

The messy-haired Mo Tianyu laughed and rubbed his exposed chest as he took another swig and said, "There's an order to it. I learned divination first, then the Imperial Advisor took me away to study Confucianism. The past is a difficult thing to talk about…"

Lu Changkong nodded. "It's a long and lonely road. I'll listen to the lot you draw me," he replied.

Mo Tianyu's eyes lit up, and he took out three shiny copper coins and placed them in his hand. He took a mouthful of wine and sprayed it over the coins.

The coins actually started rolling around in the wine Mo Tianyu had sprayed, and finally landed back on Mo Tianyu's palm.

"Oh my… how interesting…

"This lot is one of tremendous misfortune. City Master Lu, this trip out of the city will harm your son. Sword Sect will take control of Beiluo City, and blood will flow through the city like a river… tsk tsk tsk, this is a real bloody disaster," Mo Tianyu finally said after hesitating and deciding to say it anyway.

Lu Changkong frowned deeply, and displeasure flashed in his eyes.

But…

Before he could get angry…

The sound of a horse galloping from afar could be heard. Someone on horseback was riding toward him from the direction of Beiluo City.

On the back of the horse was a soldier wearing the Beiluo City army armor.

After he was stopped, he slid off his horse and knelt on one knee in front of Lu Changkong, stirring up dust.

"Reporting to the City Master!"

"Speak."

"News from Beiluo City. The three major aristocratic families have gathered hundreds of Confucianists and a highly skilled fighter from Sword Sect on Beiluo Lake Island. They have accused Young Master, and have joined hands with the Beiluo City merchants to hire hooligans to protest and cause trouble.

"Also, four Grandmasters from Sword Sect have climbed the city wall with their swords and have entered the city!"

The soldier kept his head bowed and spoke quickly.

After Lu Changkong heard this, the Qi and blood within him rushed violently, and his eyes flashed with a murderous gleam.

"How dare Sword Sect do this?!"

Lu Changkong didn't get angry at the three major aristocratic families. Instead, he directed his anger at Sword Sect. Even if the head of the three aristocratic families died, it was no cause for him to worry. Sword Sect was the one who could cause serious trouble.

He knew that Sword Sect would cause him trouble, but he didn't expect them to move so fast!

On the other side…

Mo Tianyu laughed.

He let out a long, low whistle at the sky and went back inside the carriage.

"This time, my divination was correct.

"A word and a lot tells you whether you will live or die, and the heavens and earth will decide your reincarnation…"

Mo Tianyu laughed loudly as he climbed back into the horse carriage.

Lu Changkong had a cold expression on his face as he glanced at Mo Tianyu. He pulled on the horse's reins and it neighed and reared its front legs.

The three hundred armored horsemen started moving more quickly along the road, and hastened back to Beiluo City as the sun's rays grew shorter and shorter.

…

At Chen Manor…

It was completely silent. Blood covered the ground, and it had even turned the water in the pond red.

And whenever the wind blew, it brought with it the stench of blood.

Lu Fan was in a white robe. He hadn't gotten a single drop of blood on himself. He was playing with a chess piece in his hand, and his face was as cool as a piece of jade.

Since he had founded White Jade City, which was based in Beiluo City, he wasn't going to allow any other powers to exist inside the city besides for his own power base.

And if there were any, he would get rid of them.

Suddenly…

Lu Fan's eyebrow twitched.

He turned to look at the main street outside the manor.

Nie Changqing put away his butcher knife and stood erect next to Lu Fan, a grim expression on his face.

"Young Master… there are highly skilled fighters coming," he said.

Lu Fan nodded. He had 13 points of Soul Strength, so he could feel the four's murderous intentions as they blew toward him like a black cloud down the street outside the manor.

He seemed to have thought of something, because his lips twitched a little.

"Is this Sword Sect's last stand…"

Then he threw the chess piece he had been playing with back into its box.

"Yi Yue, let's go," he said.

"Got it." Her attractive face was a little stern as she pushed the wheelchair out of Chen Manor, with Ni Yu following close behind them.

Nie Changqing held his butcher knife in his hand and used his sleeve to wipe the blood off the blade, his eyes flashing as he followed after them.

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Chapter 40: You Call This Flying Sword Technique?

The blood on the main street hadn't even dried yet, but the people on either side had left long ago.

Some stalls were overturned, and there were vegetable leaves all over the ground…

It was a depressing sight.

At the end of the long street, four figures in black with sword boxes on their backs and conical hats on their heads were calmly making their way over.

They wore black robes, as opposed to the usual blue robes the other Sword Sect disciples wore, and each had at least three swords in the wooden sword box on his back.

In Sword Sect, if someone has three swords in their sword box, it means he's a Fifth Resonance Grandmaster.

The oncoming four men were very strong, and they didn't lose to the Daoist, Han Lianxiao.

Behind the four men were troops of Ironblood soldiers chasing after them with long swords in their hands.

But these four Sword Sect Grandmasters moved extremely quickly. Even though they were just walking, it was impossible for the soldiers to catch up with them, even if they ran.

Their goal was simple. They were going to catch the leader first before dealing with his followers.

Beiluo City was Sword Sect's target, and the swordsmen had been hiding in a deserted area outside of Beiluo City.

When they got the message from one of the Seven Heroes of Sword Sect, Jing Yue, they immediately hurried over to the city.

The Young Master of Beiluo City, Lu Ping'an, was a cruel and insane man who had started a massacre, breaking the rules of this game.

They were no longer able to bide their time in taking over Beiluo City, so they had no choice but to use the more dangerous method.

In reality, even though they were Grandmasters, it was still risky for them to enter the city like this and try to kill Lu Fan.

After all, if they were surrounded by the soldiers and attacked at the same time, they could possibly die a horrific death right there and then.

So they chose to settle this matter as quickly as possible. They would use the fastest means possible to infiltrate the enemy camp, kill off Lu Fan, and then make their escape.

As long as they weren't surrounded by the troops, the Seven Heroes of Sword Sect would definitely be able to escape with their combined strength.

Sword Sect disciples were expert assassins, after all.

As swordsmen of Sword Sect, they emphasized repaying kindness with kindness, and repaying evil with evil. They were very straightforward.

They had no problem killing others, no matter the means.

The evening sun hung low in the sky.

The sky gradually darkened, and there was a foreboding atmosphere hanging above the long street.

Yi Yue pushed the wheelchair, and the sound of the wheels creaking against the tiles could be heard.

Lu Fan was dressed in white and seated in the wheelchair. He had one hand under his chin, and his hair cascaded down his face.

Ni Yu nervously carried the chessboard on her back. Her little face was tense, and she stared straight ahead with wide eyes.

Nie Changqing held onto his butcher knife with a stern expression on his face. His steps were slow and careful. He was ready to attack at any moment.

He knew…

The next battle was going to be a difficult one.

Luo Cheng was holding the important family members of the three major aristocratic families at knife point.

Liu Ye, Zhu Yishan, and the rest were among the group of soldiers, and they all looked downcast.

Chen Beixun's eyes looked soulless. He hung his head, his beautiful hair now filthy. His entire body still trembled with fear.

The Chens were no more…

The Lius and the Zhus were gone as well. These untouchable aristocratic families had been wiped out just like that.

Lu Fan's viciousness and decisiveness had dealt another blow to his heart.

He had thought Lu Fan wouldn't be able to do anything once Lu Changkong wasn't around, but in the end… he had been wrong.

Instead, when Lu Changkong left for the capital, he had actually allowed Lu Fan to do whatever he liked, which had made him even more bold and wild.

The three major aristocratic families had been massacred on the spot, while all the important representatives from the thirty-odd merchants, both large and small, had been slaughtered with one wave of Lu Fan's hand.

This was a day of bloodshed.

The highly-skilled fighters from Sword Sect had also died horribly on the spot.

Chen Beixun numbly raised his head. He looked toward the end of the long street and saw the four Sword Sect Grandmasters wearing conical hats and making their way over.

He neither became excited nor hopeful.

He had lost all faith in the Sword Sect Grandmasters.

At Beiluo Lake, that one Sword Sect Grandmaster had escaped on a boat instead of putting up a fight.

Today at Chen Manor, that same Sword Sect Grandmaster used his swords to spring over the wall and then quickly run away, escaping once again…

The Grandmaster had escaped two times, which had deeply hurt his heart.

His heart was now dead and no longer had hope in Sword Sect.

The wind blew.

The last of the evening sun was waning. It shone on the ground of the main street like the last glow of charcoal burning in a furnace.

There was no grand opening ceremony, or an exchange of meaningless words.

Both sides knew what they were here to do.

"We've all arrived. Why hasn't Jing Yue appeared?"

The leader of the swordsmen frowned. He wore a conical hat on his head and had five swords in his sword box.

The other three were equally puzzled.

"Forget it. We won't wait for him… the target is Lu Changkong's wheelchair-bound son, Lu Pingan."

"I'll take care of the abandoned Daoist disciple, Nie Changqing…"

"Later, when you strike, use one slash to cut the throat. Once we're done killing, leave immediately, and gather outside the city," the leader of the swordsmen said. His voice was stern and hoarse.

Once he had given instructions…

The four of them placed the tips of their swords against the main street's tiles.

An ear-piercing screeching sound was heard as the swords were dragged along the ground, sending sparks flying.

The four swordsmen moved faster and faster. The Qi and blood within them rushed out and blasted loudly and continuously.

There was a strong gust of wind, and it blew up all the sand and vegetable leaves on the ground, and the stalls that had been overturned were now blown far away.

"Attack!" the leader of the swordsmen roared loudly.

A clanging sound was heard.

The wooden sword boxes on the backs of all four of the swordsmen started trembling, and all the swords within the boxes flew out at once.

The four swordsmen were neat and orderly as they started spinning on the spot, kicking the handles of every sword that shot out from the box.

Other than the main swords in their hands, the remaining nine swords flew straight toward Lu Fan.

…

"Seven Heroes of Sword Sect… Flying Sword Technique."

A low and hoarse voice spoke.

Lu Fan turned his head slightly to find that a hunched figure had appeared by his side without him knowing.

Old Huang, who had been hiding in the shadows all this while, had appeared.

This was the first time he had appeared in front of Lu Fan. Lu Changkong had instructed him to protect Lu Fan, and now that Lu Fan was in grave danger, it was necessary that he appeared.

Lu Fan's expression was calm, even after seeing Old Huang. He didn't find anything strange or surprising about this.

He had already noticed Old Huang's presence when his Soul Strength had increased in strength.

"A nameless First Resonance Grandmaster, protecting me in the dark…" Lu Fan sighed.

Lu Changkong was really good to his son.

If a Grandmaster had been added to Beiluo City's defense, then those three prominent aristocratic families would have thought through their betrayal much more carefully before going through with it.

But it was a pity that one First Resonance Grandmaster wasn't enough for this battle.

Realizing that Lu Fan wasn't shocked by his appearance, Old Huang was the one who was shocked instead.

Yi Yue and Ni Yu were stunned, and Yi Yue even had a hand on the long whip at her waist.

Old Huang didn't explain himself, and instead tensed up, his back hunched over in his black robe.

He focused his gaze on the front and stared straight at the swords flying their way.

Sword Sect's Flying Sword Technique…

If he sacrificed himself, he could perhaps help his Young Master to… block these swords!

Lu Fan's gaze landed on the long swords flying toward him, and his lips twitched a little. "You call this Flying Sword Technique… seriously?"

Nie Changqing took a step forward.

The nine swords flying their way made Nie Changqing's long robe flap loudly. He held his butcher knife in his hand, while his eyes looked like they were on fire and his hair flew.

He held his butcher knife in his hand. His hair was blowing in the wind, and his eyes looked like they were on fire.

His Qi and blood quivered.

Then with a low shout…

He raised his butcher knife.

The Spirit Qi within his dantian flowed out and combined with the five resonances of Qi and blood. It sounded like thunder.

"Knife Control!"

The Spirit Qi encapsulated the butcher knife.

Nie immediately swung his arm and sent the butcher knife flying. It was one knife against nine swords!

The four Sword Sect swordsmen's faces were hidden under their large conical hats, so it was difficult to see their expressions clearly.

Their swords screeched against the tiles as they hastened their steps and charged at Nie Changqing.

In that moment, everything had became very tense.

However…

To Lu Fan sitting in his wheelchair, time seemed to have slowed down tremendously, and everything seemed to pass by in slow-motion.

When the butcher knife struck the nine swords, Lu Fan casually took the chessboard from Ni Yu's hands.

Nie Changqing and the four Sword Sect swordsmen's Qi and blood were blasting loudly, but Lu Fan was taking his time putting the chessboard on his thighs. He even took the time to breathe on the chessboard and give it a good wipe.

Two swords went past the butcher knife and flew toward them. Old Huang looked on with wide, angry eyes, but Lu Fan's face was still as calm as jade as he used his long fingers to leisurely pull out a black chess piece from the chess box.

The last rays of sun were fading, and day was about to turn to night.

Lu Fan waved his sleeve, and wisps of Spirit Qi rode on the wind and surrounded his wheelchair.

He then elegantly put down the black chess piece.

The moment the piece hit the chessboard…

The Spirit Qi, which flowed in waves around the wheelchair, shot out like rays of light in all directions.

An invisible pressure instantly filled the air.

The moment the piece was put down…

The world seemed to fall silent, and the flying swords suddenly froze in midair.

On the main street…

The conical hats of the four swordsmen, who were charging toward Nie Changqing, exploded into pieces. Their eyes narrowed in disbelief, and their tight hair buns fell apart.

It was as if the air had been compressed into a solid, tremendous mountain, hitting their bodies hard.

All four of them whimpered.

Their swords fell to the floor, and they fell on one knee.

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Chapter 41: If You Can Hold Up Against Three Chess Pieces

The last ray of sunshine disappeared.

It was as if the world had fallen into eternal night.

The main street of Beiluo City was eerily silent…

It was as if time had stopped.

Nie Changqing didn't make another move. The sound of his soft breathing broke the silence.

He took a step back and prepared to attack again.

Four of the Seven Heroes of Sword Sect joined forces, and they were well-coordinated, since Sword Sect's sword techniques were the foundation of their abilities.

The leader among them was a Seventh Resonance Grandmaster with five swords in his sword box. Nie Changqing would be at a disadvantage with just one clash from the other three swordsmen, let alone the leader.

If Nie Changqing didn't have Spirit Qi to strengthen his physical strength and his Qi and blood, he would've been covered in numerous stab wounds after no more than three exchanges.

"I'm still too weak after all. How can I go south and attack the Daoists with so little strength?"

Nie Changqing was panting, and his hair fell in front of his eyes. He looked disappointed.

He didn't want to go back to the Daoists.

But…

Among the Daoists, there was someone he missed dearly.

In front of Lu Fan…

Old Huang's back was bent, and sweat rolled down his quivering face.

He stared at the flying swords, which were mere inches away, threatening to strike him between his eyebrows. The Qi and blood in his body were about to turn cold.

If the flying swords hadn't been stopped by that strange power…

At this moment, he could very well be already dead!

Yi Yue held her long whip tightly, stunned. Her pink lips were parted wide, revealing the tremendous shock she felt in her heart.

Ni Yu, on the other hand, was extremely excited, and her little face was flushed.

Luo Cheng, as well as all the people he and his soldiers were holding at knifepoint, were speechless.

Chen Beixun in particular was extremely shocked. He had witnessed it this time…

Lu Fan had just rolled his sleeve back and placed a chess piece on the chessboard.

In that instant, the flying swords froze in place, and the four Heroes from Sword Sect fell to their knees. It was as if the world had suddenly fallen into silence!

What… move was this?

Chen Beixun was so afraid that even his beard started trembling violently. There was despair in his eyes, and he could no longer remain strong and stubborn.

He had thought that Lu Fan's source of confidence was that abandoned Daoist disciple, Nie Changqing, who possessed some otherworldly sort of power…

He had been wrong.

The otherworldly one was… Lu Fan, not Nie Changqing!

Chen Beixun suddenly understood everything. It was no wonder why this abandoned Daoist disciple had pledged his full allegiance to Lu Fan.

So… the world had been tricked by Lu Fan!

This was a devastating lie!

This was the end. There was no more hope left.

Chen Beixun's legs gave way, and he collapsed to the ground.

On the main street, the atmosphere was bleak.

The flying swords were eerily frozen in midair. The conical hats of the four swordsmen had burst into pieces, and their hair was a mess.

They were all on one knee on the ground, panting heavily and sweating profusely.

The immense pressure sent fear into their hearts, but at the same time, they stubbornly tried to resist it.

The Seventh Resonance Grandmaster leader with five swords trembled slightly, and seemed to be slowly standing up against the tremendous pressure.

In the wheelchair…

Lu Fan raised an eyebrow. These four men… were much stronger than that Daoist No. 9, Han Lianxiao.

The amount of Spirit Qi enabled Spirit Pressure was about the same amount of Spirit Pressure he applied on Han Lianxiao back then.

But this didn't bother Lu Fan.

His long fingers reached down and picked up another black chess piece from the box inside the wheelchair armrest.

His sleeve was rolled back, and there was a chess piece between his index finger and middle finger.

His red lips were curled into a faint smile, revealing his white teeth, as he looked at the four Sword Sect swordsmen, who were kneeling on the ground but trying to resist the Spirit Pressure on them.

"If you can withstand three chess pieces without ending up prostrate on the ground…"

"You may live," Lu Fan said.

His voice was calm, and it echoed down the long street.

Then, the hand holding the chess piece was raised high in the air.

PAK!

The black chess piece was placed down on the chessboard.

BOOOM…

The Spirit Qi started gushing around Lu Fan again, and it violently rippled out in all directions.

The amount of Spirit Pressure suddenly increased fivefold!

There was a loud clanging sound!

The flying swords that were frozen in midair crashed to the ground, as if pulled by some force.

Some of the flying swords were made from inferior material, and immediately bent out of shape from the pressure.

Pfft!

Besides the swordsman with five swords in his sword box, the other three spat out mouthfuls of fresh blood, unable to withstand the force of the Spirit Pressure.

They felt like their internal organs were soon going to be twisted out of place from the pressure.

They collapsed, face down on the ground. Their heads were turned, so their cheeks landed hard against the tiles of the road, and blood flowed from their mouths.

"What on earth is… this?!"

The Sword Sect swordsman with five swords in his sword box had bloodshot eyes, and he was breathing heavily. His looked past Nie Changqing to the elegant-looking Lu Fan sitting in his wheelchair.

"It's just a simple move by a cultivator, that's all."

The moment Lu Fan finished speaking, the last swordsman standing couldn't bear the pressure anymore and immediately crashed to the ground with a loud thud.

Lu Fan had picked up the third black chess piece from the box but hadn't put it down yet.

"Too bad…"

Lu Fan shook his head and sighed deeply.

"Nie, clear the place," a calm voice echoed.

Nie Changqing was ready with his knife, and his eyes narrowed in focus.

He lifted the butcher knife in his hands, and Spirit Qi started flowing.

He began his Knife Control Technique.

The butcher knife instantly flew at an angle through the air and slashed through the necks of all four swordsmen lying flat on the ground. The knife went one round and then flew back into Nie Changqing's hand. The blade dripped with blood.

A puddle of blood slowly formed under the bodies of the four swordsmen sprawled on the ground.

Lu Fan's wheelchair changed direction by itself, and his back faced the four swordsmen, who were slowly dying.

His sleeve rolled back as he leisurely picked up the two chess pieces off the board and threw them back into the chess box.

"Ni, carry it."

Ni Yu ran over to carry the chessboard on her back. Then, she puffed out her flat chest and stood straight and alert.

Yi Yue's attractive face had also become calm again, and she gently pushed the wheelchair.

The sound of the wooden wheels creaking against the tiles restored some life into the deathly quiet main street of Beiluo City.

Chen Beixun's eyes were soulless, and his body was cold.

Liu Ye and Zhu Yishan had collapsed to the ground long ago.

"Young… Young Master!" Luo Cheng, who was wearing a bloodstained helmet, swallowed.

"What do we do with these people?" he asked.

He was referring to Chen Beixun and the others being held at knifepoint.

Lu Fan was being pushed slowly toward Lu Manor. He supported his chin on one hand while he used the other to rub the bridge of his nose. "Since they are guilty of rebellion," he said calmly, "then deal with them as they should be dealt with…"

Under the low rays of the setting sun, Lu Fan's shadow grew long against the street.

Lu Fan's faint voice floated over to Luo Cheng, who took a deep breath.

He clasped his hands and bowed toward where Lu Fan's wheelchair was slowly disappearing into the distance.

"Yes sir."

He then straightened up, removed his bloodstained helmet, and waved his hands.

"Execute them."

Once these words were said…

The Ironblood soldiers guarding the offenders of the three major aristocratic families pulled out their weapons.

This time…

Blood really stained the main street of the city.

Chen Beixun sat in a daze on the ground, completely disheveled, as he continued staring straight at Lu Fan's back, which was disappearing from view.

He just continued to stare like that…

Until… he felt a pain in his neck, and everything before him suddenly went dark.

…

Sitting in his wheelchair, Lu Fan closed his eyes and focused on regaining some of his strength.

Using the Spirit Pressure Chessboard to exert force over four Grandmasters looked easy, but it was actually exhausting. After all, putting down chess pieces consumed his Soul Strength.

He massaged the bridge of his nose. He was ready to sleep when he got back. Sleeping was a faster and more efficient way to restore his Soul Strength.

But of course, that wasn't all.

Tonight, he had important matters to handle.

This important matter was in regard to the Dao Impartment Platform.

He had told Yu Wenxiu and Xiang Shaoyun that they could enter the Dao Impartment Platform once every three days.

Tonight was the third day.

The Dao Impartment Platform was, of course, very important to Lu Fan. If he wanted to increase the amount of Spirit Qi he had, besides using his Soul Strength points to exchange for Spirit Qi, the only other way was to use the Dao Impartment Platform to groom cultivators and take their Spirit Qi as commission.

When Lu Fan thought this, he didn't waste any more time. "Yi Yue, I'm very tired. Let's go home," he instructed Yi Yue, who was pushing his wheelchair along.

"Got it," Yi Yue replied, and pushed him more quickly.

Hmm?

Lu Fan was resting, when he suddenly opened his eyes a little.

Yi Yue also stopped pushing the wheelchair.

Under the night sky, far out along the main street…

A white dress was flying gently in the wind.

There was a slim figure with a halo around her head, her hair flying in the wind. She was incredibly beautiful. She was dragging someone along, his nose bruised and his face swollen.

Ning Zhao stood erect at the end of the street.

She spotted Lu Fan in his wheelchair.

Her eyes were like crescent moons, and her smile was as beautiful as a peach blossom.

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Chapter 42: Is the World Outside That Dangerous?

[Side Quest 2: Create Supreme Power from nothing (Current quest progress: Preliminary Supreme Power, Beiluo City dominated)

[Congratulations to the Host for creating Preliminary Supreme Power "White Jade City," you now have 10 available points.

[Hint: Host needs to work harder to make "White Jade City" into a Supreme Power. You may get around 1000 points for doing so.]

Ning Zhao had appeared in front of Lu Fan with unparalleled beauty…

at the same time as this system prompt popped up in front of his eyes.

"New progress… has been made in this quest again?"

Lu Fan couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. But after reading the system prompt, he couldn't help but sigh deeply.

It was actually surprised him a little.

He thought that he would only be rewarded points after he created a Supreme Power that was superior to all the Hundred Schools of Philosophy. He didn't know that the quest was divided into smaller segments.

After all, given Lu Fan's current amount of Refined Qi, it would be a long and difficult road to creating a power that could truly rise above the Hundred Schools of Philosophy.

What really made Lu Fan's eyes light up was the system's hint.

If he could really make White Jade City a Supreme Power, he could possibly get 1000 points. 1000 points could become 10,000 wisps of Spirit Qi!

If he could get these points, then he could reach at least the third level of Refined Qi.

But Lu Fan quickly started frowning.

Because when he did his calculations, he suddenly realized that refining Qi… was such a difficult process!

1 Soul Strength point could be exchanged for 10 wisps of Spirit Qi.

Which meant 1000 points could only help him reach the third level of Refined Qi…

So how many points would it take for him to reach the 100th level of Refined Qi?

He felt like he might go crazy.

Now, Lu Fan understood that relying solely on points to increase his level of Refined Qi was unrealistic and next to impossible.

There had to be another way of increasing his level of Refined Qi.

For example, grooming cultivators within the Dao Impartment Platform and taking the Spirit Qi they refined as commission.

This was one way, and there might be more, but he just hadn't come across them yet.

He might even be able to try refining Qi himself.

He pushed his thoughts to the back of his mind.

In the distance…

Ning Zhao dragged the man along and walked over to them.

She was breathing a little heavily, and her slim face was slightly red with excitement.

"Young Master, after I finished making arrangements at White Jade City, I rushed over from Beiluo Lake Island to assist Young Master. On the way, I ran into this Sword Sect swordsman making his escape…"

Lu Fan's eyes landed on the Sword Sect swordsman, whose nose and face were bruised and swollen.

The corners of his mouth couldn't help but twitch.

Nie Changqing stood next to Lu Fan and was equally speechless.

They both recognized him. This swordsman… was the Sword Sect Grandmaster who had escaped twice right from under their noses, without even looking back… wasn't he?

This Sword Sect Grandmaster hadn't joined in the fight. In fact, each time he saw them, he had made a run for it.

Lu Fan and Nie Changqing couldn't be bothered with him.

They had already thought this fellow had left Beiluo City long ago and had run far, far away.

It never crossed their minds…

That he'd actually been captured by Ning Zhao.

Wasn't this a little too tragic?

Beneath his bruised nose and swollen face, Jing Yue seemed to be second-guessing his entire life.

"Not bad…"

Lu Fan wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry. But thanks to Ning Zhao, perhaps because she had taken this Sword Sect Grandmaster captive, he had completed the initial stage of his quest earlier than expected.

"This swordsman has four swords in his sword box, which makes him a Sixth Resonance

Grandmaster… how did you overtake him?" Nie Changqing asked beside Lu Fan, hugging his butcher knife.

Nie Changqing knew Ning Zhao's level. She was a First Resonance Grandmaster, Second Stage Qi Core Realm.

Even though she had two wisps of Spirit Qi… it didn't really seem likely that she could capture a Sixth Resonance Grandmaster alive.

Curiosity was also written all over Lu Fan's face.

Ning Zhao lifted a pretty hand and pushed away the hair that had fallen on her forehead. She pursed her red lips together slightly, and started laughing.

"At first, I was really no match for this swordsman, and I was in grave danger. But… just when I was at the brink of death, I was suddenly enlightened, and I accidentally gained an understanding of… Spirit Pressure.

"The moment I used Spirit Pressure, this Sword Sect Grandmaster lost all will to fight and wanted nothing else but to escape, so I took the chance to… bash him so hard that his face and nose became bruised and swollen, and took him captive."

Spirit Pressure?

Nie Changqing was stunned.

Lu Fan's eyes lit up. His lips curled upward slightly as he looked at Ning Zhao, who looked a little proud of herself.

"Come, let me experience your Spirit Pressure," Lu Fan said as he gently rubbed his palms.

"All right."

Ning Zhao flung the swordsman Jing Yue to one side, and the Spirit Qi in her dantian started to rise.

"Young Master… I apologize in advance."

Her hair flew upward, and her white dressed flapped wildly.

BOOM!

The next moment, as her Spirit Qi continued to swirl about, a sudden pressure pushed against Lu Fan.

The dust on the ground blew, and Lu Fan's white robe and hair started flapping wildly in the wind.

Yi Yue's face instantly paled, and she felt as if a huge rock were pressing down on her chest. She found it difficult to breathe, and her slim legs started trembling slightly.

Ni Yu, however, was doing just fine, and wasn't affected at all. She was carrying the Spirit Pressure Chessboard on her back, and faced the Spirit Pressure like it was just a normal refreshing gust of wind.

"Not bad, just a little weak. But at least you're able to use Spirit Pressure. Sister Ning, the transfusion technique you learned was the one from my father, right?"

Lu Fan laughed quietly.

Ning Zhao had understood how to use Spirit Pressure, but the amount of Spirit Pressure created with two wisps of Spirit Qi was no match for Lu Fan's Spirit Pressure.

But in a battle, it was enough to be her winning move.

Jing Yue, with his bruised nose and swollen face, was proof of that.

"That's right." Ning Zhao returned her Qi to her dantian and bowed, her slim face looking slightly red.

"Tomorrow, come and look for me, and I'll teach you how to cultivate. With the help of a cultivation method, you can increase the force of your Spirit Pressure."

"Thank you so much, Young Master." Happiness was written all over Ning Zhao's slim face.

Lu Fan didn't say anything else. He shifted his gaze to Jing Yue, who had gotten up from the ground and was secretly preparing to make his escape.

Fifty wisps of Spirit Qi rushed out from his dantian.

Boom!

Jing Yue had just flipped himself over to get up, and was all ready to sprint off like a sly little rabbit.

Suddenly, he fell prostrate on the ground, and his face smashed against it. His nose was nearly made crooked from the impact, and blood came out of it…

This was simply too tragic.

Jing Yue suddenly felt like crying…

All this while, he'd never cared to fight, and the one and only time he actually made an attack, he'd lost.

He just wanted to live… was that so hard?

Had the world outside already become so dangerous?!

"You're still thinking of running?" Lu Fan asked, one hand under his chin, the other lightly tapping against the thin woolen throw covering his legs.

He released the Spirit Pressure.

Jing Yue unsteadily got up from the ground.

Ning Zhao had already taken her place behind Lu Fan, and placed her pretty hands on the wheelchair handles. Yi Yue moved to one side, some fear still on her face.

Nie Changqing hugged his butcher knife and stared coldly at Jing Yue.

The night was getting a little cold.

Jing Yue wiped away the blood from his nose as he looked at Lu Fan seated in his wheelchair and looking as cool as a jade.

He knew he only had two choices.

To die or surrender.

As one of the Seven Heroes of Sword Sect, how could he choose surrender? That was an insult to the way of the sword and his resolve, which had been strengthened by swordsmanship.

Thud!

Jing Yue's legs gave way, and he fell to his knees.

Without the slightest bit of hesitation, he knelt in front of Lu Fan.

"I… I surrender, I won't run anymore."

Lu Fan was a little taken aback. Wasn't it well known that swordsmen were strong-willed and would rather die than admit defeat?

This fellow… he was supposed to be a Sword Sect Grandmaster, but he didn't have any pride at all.

Lu Fan's expression slowly become more and more difficult to read.

Jing Yue looked a mess because of his bruised nose and swollen face, but he was calm and cool when he knew what the best thing for him to do was in a given moment.

Lu Fan leaned against his wheelchair and looked calmly at Jing Yue.

He was trembling slightly, and his face was turning more and more pale by the moment.

After some time…

Lu Fan finally used his finger to lightly tap the thin woolen throw on his legs and said expressionlessly, "You can surrender."

"But you have to give me a reason not to kill you."

…

At night, Beiluo City stood alone and proud like a lion.

The sound of horses galloping was deafening.

The three hundred armored horsemen had come back from the plains.

Lu Changkong whipped his horse hard, and with a loud neigh, the horse dashed right to the front of the three hundred armored horsemen.

There were only a few guards left at the city wall, and they immediately passed the message on when they saw that Lu Changkong had come dashing back.

They pulled up the poles of the heavy city gate, and the doors parted.

Lu Changkong had a cold expression on his face as he looked at the sparse number of guards on the city wall and clenched his teeth.

Something serious must have happened inside the city for the number of guards to be so low.

He brought the three hundred horsemen, as well as the Imperial Advisor's carriage pulled along by five horses, and rushed into Beiluo City.

The moment he entered the city, he could smell the stench of bodies and bloodshed in the air.

His heart…

immediately sank.

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Chapter 43: Telling Young Master Lu's Fortune

The night was like a veil. It covered all of Beiluo City in a misty glow.

Lu Changkong was in his cold, hard armor, and was riding on a Ferghana horse. He took in a deep breath, and smelled the thick stench of blood.

He trembled slightly.

Could it be that… Mo Tianyu had correctly predicted his son's fate?

Had Lu Fan really fallen into the hands of the three major aristocratic families and Sword Sect?

His back suddenly slouched a little.

Luo Yue quietly followed behind Lu Changkong. He also clearly smelled the blood in the air.

He was holding the horse's reins tightly, and his face was extremely grim.

The sound of wheels rolling against the tiles could be heard as the carriage was pulled along by the horses, drowning out the sound of their hooves.

Mo Tianyu pulled the curtain back and hopped out of the horse carriage, a huge wine flask at his waist. He inhaled deeply, and smelled the stench of blood.

"This city has suffered numerous killings," he exclaimed. "I had predicted tremendous misfortune, and it looks I didn't get it wrong this time… I really wish my prediction hadn't proved correct, but, unfortunately, we can't change the will of the heavens. City Master Lu, don't be too sad."

He then took the flask from around his waist, took a mouthful of wine, and sprayed it out of his mouth. The strong smell of alcohol washed away the smell of blood in the air.

He went to sit on the driver's seat, dragging his straw sandals. His Confucianist robe was open and revealed his chest as he staggered along, looking unruly and licentious.

Lu Changkong glanced at Mo Tianyu, his eyes blazing. He looked like he wanted to kill Mo Tianyu.

Lu Changkong pulled out his sword with great fury, ready to slice him to pieces and splatter his blood all across the ground.

Mo Tianyu wasn't afraid in the slightest. He took another mouthful of wine, burped, and burst into loud laughter.

"That's right. The Farmer Clan has fallen, but it's still one of the Hundred Schools of Philosophy. Since you're a descendant, you still out to possess some of the domineering spirit that people from the Hundred Schools of Philosophy have…"

Lu Changkong narrowed his eyes. "Sir, please don't spout nonsense like that," he said in an expressionless voice. "One must be mindful of his words and actions."

"Luo, come along. Let's return to Lu Manor.

"If anything has happened to Fan, I will raise an army and destroy Zhongnan's Sword Sect, even if I have to relinquish Beiluo City!" Lu Changkong declared loudly, then picked up the reins and whipped the horse hard across its back.

The sound of its galloping filled the air as it sped toward Lu Manor.

Luo Yue's eyes were blazing as he placed a hand on the long sword at his waist and shouted in a low voice, "I vow to follow City Master Lu to the very end!"

The three hundred horsemen followed behind him.

Mo Tianyu was left alone on the main street of Beiluo City, sitting on the driver's seat of the carriage and holding a wine flask in one hand.

He watched the whole troop gallop past him and leave him in the dust. He started laughing.

Then he made the coachman race to catch up with them.

…

Lu Changkong's face had initially been extremely grim.

But…

As he rode the horse through Beiluo City, the expression on his face became one of doubt and puzzlement.

He finally came to a spot where many Ironblood soldiers were cleaning up corpses, and his gaze hardened.

He pulled on the reins to slow the horse down, and it neighed, its hooves falling against the tiles and sounding like a heavy rain.

Lu Changkong hopped off the horse and quickly started making his way toward the Ironblood soldiers.

Some of them saw Lu Changkong coming their way, and had excited looks on their faces.

The City Master is back?

"We greet City Master!" The Ironblood soldiers fell on one knee.

"How's Young Master?

"What happened? Where are the rest of the guards that are supposed to be guarding the city wall?"

"How's the battle in front?"

"What are the casualties?"

Lu Changkong frowned, a cold expression on his face, and asked the Ironblood soldiers a series of questions.

The Ironblood soldiers, who were all kneeling on one knee, were dumbstruck by all the questions Lu Changkong shot at them from under the visor of his helmet. They all stuttered and couldn't manage to get out a single word.

Luo Yue was behind Lu Changkong and couldn't stand their stunned silence any longer.

His eyes widened in anger as he took one step forward and roared loudly like a lion.

"You were asked a question! What? Are you all scared silly?! What are you stammering about?!"

The soldiers trembled.

"Reporting to the City Master," one soldier finally managed to speak up.

"The battle within the city… ended a long time ago."

Lu Changkong was stunned.

But before he could ask another question, the soldier started recounting what happened.

"The three major aristocratic families, the Lius, the Zhus, and the Chens, were accused of rebellion by Young Master Lu. He wiped out their families, as well as all the strong fighters from Sword Sect. Hundreds of Confucianists insulted Young Master Lu on Beiluo Lake, so after arresting them all, Young Master Lu gave orders to execute them all too…"

The soldier spoke fairly quickly, but every word he said sounded like a blast of thunder in Lu Changkong and Luo Yue's ears.

What on earth?!

The soldier from earlier had given them a completely different report.

Why was everything the other way around?

Lu Changkong's lips trembled slightly. "Are you telling the truth?"

The soldier was already on the verge of tears, so why would he give a false report?

"So why are there so few soldiers guarding the city gate? Where are the rest of them? What are our causalities?"

The soldier clasped his fist in one hand and replied, "Reporting to City Master. In this battle…eighteen have been injured, and three are dead. As for the rest… Assistant General Luo has ordered them to clean up the dead bodies."

There was a sudden shocked exclamation from the horse carriage following behind Lu Changkong's three hundred horsemen.

"That's impossible! Five out of the Seven Heroes of Sword Sect came, so how were you able to gain victory?"

It was the voice of Mo Tianyu, who was raising his doubts from inside the horse carriage.

Lu Changkong's face instantly fell. His expression became cold after he heard what Mo Tianyu said.

"Mo Tianyu, I said before that you need to mind what you say and do. Just because you made a prediction, my son doesn't deserve to live?"

Luo Yue also shot Mo Tianyu a nasty look.

"If you weren't the top disciple of the Imperial Advisor, I'd kill you," Lu Changkong calmly added on.

Mo Tianyu wasn't stupid. He knew he shouldn't have said that, but his pride wouldn't allow him to admit he was wrong, so he merely clasped his hands together and bowed slightly in an attempt to make peace.

After that, he pulled out the three copper coins from his robe and studied them carefully.

Had he miscalculated again?!

Lu Changkong took a deep breath and turned back toward the soldiers. His expression softened, and he closed his eyes.

"Good, that's great… as long as Fan'er is well."

He didn't know what happened, but it seemed like Lu Fan had taken care of everything.

After finding out that Lu Fan was safe, Lu Changkong was no longer in a hurry to return to Lu Manor.

He was going to help Lu Fan clean up the mess.

…

"Five out of the Seven Heroes of Sword Sect came to attack Beiluo City, so unless Lu Changkong was there and had used his elite group of three hundred martial arts practitioners to surround them and fight back… given the power of the Beiluo City city guards, Lu Ping'an surely should've been doomed!"

"I don't believe it…"

Inside the horse carriage…

Mo Tianyu scratched his disheveled head and held the coins in his hand. He took a mouthful of wine, threw the coins into the air, and sprayed them with wine.

The copper coins spun about in the liquid, then landed back in his palm.

He narrowed his eyes and used the moonlight shining through the window to look carefully at the divination result.

"It still says tremendous misfortune. Lu Changkong's son… was supposed to meet with great trouble, and shouldn't have survived it."

Mo Tianyu put away the copper coins and scratched his head in frustration.

"No, I have to do this in front of Young Master Lu. I'm going to tell his fortune and calculate his fate!"

"Go to Lu Manor," he instructed the coachman.

…

At Lu Manor…

In Lu Fan's courtyard…

Jing Yue was carrying his wooden sword box and sitting cross-legged on the ground.

He looked up at the night sky full of stars and seemed a little upset.

He managed to survive.

When he recalled how Lu Fan had remained seated in his wheelchair, looking at him coldly, his heart jolted with fear again.

He thought he'd be spared if he surrendered. But Lu Fan had asked for a reason to spare his life, which had chilled him.

And if he hadn't come up with a reason, Lu Fan would've killed him.

Any influence the Sword Sect had in Beiluo City had been completely eliminated by Lu Fan's incomparable power.

Four of the Seven Heroes of Sword Sect had been killed.

As for him, if he hadn't acted quickly and handed over the Sword Sect's transfusion technique and other sword techniques in exchange for his life, then… even if he surrendered, he still would've lost his neck.

Because… he knew too much.

The night was cold, just like Jing Yue's heart.

Jing Yue was no longer one of the Seven Heroes of Sword Sect. He had a new identity now…

He was Young Master Lu's slave.

He had no position and no status.

That's right. In order to stay alive, Jing Yue didn't just give away Sword Sect's transfusion techniques and sword techniques—he sold himself along with them.

But he didn't really feel humiliated by this.

Instead, he thought what he always did:

Isn't being alive… a good thing?

He lifted his head and saw Ning Zhao, who was dressed in white and sitting cross-legged on the roof of Lu Fan's room. The moonlight shone down on her body, and made her look like a fairy that had fallen from the heavens. Her beauty was unparalleled.

Ning Zhao had her eyes closed and was calibrating her Qi. She could feel him looking at her, and her eyelashes fluttered as she opened her eyes.

She glanced coldly at Jing Yue.

Jing Yue's face froze, and he looked at Ning Zhao with a stiff smile on his face.

Suddenly…

Ning Zhao lifted her head and frowned as she looked around the outside of the manor.

Jing Yue sat in the courtyard, and his eyes also narrowed.

Outside Lu Manor…

The elegant carriage drawn by five horses slowly came to a stop, and the horses neighed.

Mo Tianyu alighted, his hair still messy, carrying a flask of wine.

He saw that the main gate of Lu Manor was shut fast, and his eyes narrowed.

His grip tightened around the flask in his hands, and he stepped on the driver's seat in his straw sandals. He elegantly flew up into the air and landed on the roof of Lu Manor.

He stepped lightly on the roof tiles and headed deep inside Lu Manor.

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Chapter 44: Have You Told Your Own Fortune?

The moonlight shone in through the window carved from red wood, and it glowed brightly as it reflected off the paper on the study table.

A canopy covered the wooden bed.

Through the thin canopy, Lu Fan could be seen sitting cross-legged on the bed.

He shifted his consciousness, and the stats menu popped up.

[Host: Lu Fan

Title: Qi Refiner (Permanent)

Refined Qi Level: 2 (Level 3 progress: 100/1000 wisps)

Soul Strength: 11 (Points for exchange: 2)

Physique Strength: 1 (Points for exchange: 1)

Spirit Qi: 92 wisps (Self-regeneration activated)

Transformation Reward: Fantasy Creation Qi Refining Manual

Current World Ranking: Wuhuang Continent (Low Level Martial World)

Access: Quests, Dao Impartment Platform, Spirit Qi Deployment

Sub-access: All Method Furnace (Level 1)

Spirit Tools: Spirit Pressure Chessboard (Heaven Level Low Grade)

Available Points Awarded: 10]

Lu Fan's lips curled upward slightly. He'd been awarded 10 points, which was a pleasant surprise and made him quite happy.

He stroked his chin and thought about what to do with the points, analyzing his situation.

He decided to split them up.

Nine points to his Soul Strength, and one point to his Physique Strength.

Lu Fan's Soul Strength hit the 20 point mark, leaving 11 points for exchange.

HWONGGG!

As soon as Lu Fan allocated the points…

He immediately felt as if his soul had been washed clean.

It felt as if he'd been enlightened, and he felt incredibly refreshed. His eyes brightened and sparkled in the darkness.

Each time his Soul Strength went up by ten points, he clearly felt that he'd risen another level.

Lu Fan could feel that his senses had been heightened, and it seemed like his blood flow was smoother.

He was also better able to control things. Initially, his telekinesis only allowed him to change the direction of his wheelchair, but now he might actually be able to move the wheelchair along at a comfortable pace.

This was a real upgrade.

Lu Fan started getting excited. Perhaps as his Soul Strength level went up, he might be able to attain divine sense, which was something cultivators always talked about.

Just a small amount of divine sense could take him far. All matters of the world could be understood.

Lu Fan snapped out of his thoughts and pushed his emotions down.

He didn't allow his happiness to get to his head. Just becoming stronger himself wasn't enough to transform this Low Level Martial World into a Fantasy World.

He shifted his consciousness and looked at the Dao Impartment Platform selection.

Just when Lu Fan was about to focus his consciousness to enter the Dao Impartment Platform, he raised an eyebrow and lifted his head to look out of the red wooden carved window.

On the roof of Lu Manor…

A man carrying a wine flask was stepping as lightly as a swallow over the tiles and making his way over in style.

His Confucianist robe was open at the top, exposing his chest, and his untied and messy hair flew wildly in the wind.

This fellow… who was he?

Lu Fan was a little puzzled.

He'd gone on a killing spree in Beiluo City, which had struck great fear in all the people.

Yet there was someone who still dared to barge into Lu Manor in the middle of the night?

Was this person bold enough to do this because he was highly skilled? Or was he… just not afraid of death?

…

Ning Zhao stood up on the roof. Her white dress flapped in the wind, and her eyes were as pretty as a painting.

She pulled out a Cicada Wing Sword and held it in her hands. The sword was nearly transparent, and it glowed like ice crystals under the moonlight.

"Who are you? The penalty for barging into Lu Manor at this hour is death."

Ning Zhao's waist-length hair was flying in the wind as her cold words echoed in the dark night.

In the courtyard…

Jing Yue put two fingers together, and with a rub on his wooden sword box, a sword immediately came out of its scabbard with a "zzzing," and Jing Yue held it in his hands.

This was his first time showing off his skills after becoming Lu Fan's slave. He was a little frustrated by this, but…

In order to leave a good impression on Lu Fan, he had to perform well this time.

On the rooftop, Mo Tianyu continued stepping along the tiles under the moonlight, and elegantly made his way toward them without making even a single sound. His ability to be so light-footed was truly unparalleled.

"I'm a mad man who can describe all the world using words, and who uses copper coin divination to laugh at the proud! I am the top disciple of Confucianism… Mo Tianyu!"

Jing Yue was one of the Seven Heroes of Sword Sect, so he had seen much more of the world than most people. He recognized Mo Tianyu, this man with messy hair, an exposed chest, and a flask of wine.

As the guardian of the Imperial Advisor's study and the top disciple of Confucianism, he was fairly famous among the Hundred Schools of Philosophy.

On the rooftop…

Mo Tianyu took another sip of wine and sprayed it out of his mouth.

His faint laughter floated over the manor.

"Miss, it's true that it's a bit late at night for me to come here, but the Imperial Advisor has ordered me to visit your Young Master, so I hope to meet with him."

Ning Zhao's eyes narrowed and flashed. "Sir, this is trespassing, not visiting… Please leave. Otherwise… prepare to die."

Ning Zhao's cold voice wasn't very loud. She seemed afraid of waking up Lu Fan, so she purposely spoke in a low voice.

Mo Tianyu took another swallow of wine and burst into loud laughter again.

"I made two calculations regarding your Young Master's fate, but both of them turned out to be incorrect. In order to find out the reason why, I want to make a calculation in front of Young Master."

Mo Tianyu's Confucianist robe flew in the wind as he stood on the roof, and he sounded fearless and bold.

Ning Zhao's brows furrowed slightly.

Jing Yue was still downstairs, and he tapped the wooden sword box on his back a few times in a row, and the three remaining swords shot out.

"Rumor has it that the top disciple of Confucianism, Mo Tianyu, has 'Mad Man' as a nickname. He doesn't care about the ways of the earth or the heavens, and he never listens to anyone besides for the Imperial Advisor. Today, I've seen for myself… that you really do live up to your nickname, and your audacity really knows no limit," Jing Yue said.

The moment he finished speaking, his body suddenly started spinning. His two legs arched backward and kicked the handles of the three long swords that flew out from the wooden sword box.

The three swords immediately shot forward without bending.

This was Sword Sect's Flying Sword Technique.

"I was wondering how the Sword Sect failed. Now I see it's because they had a traitor in their midst."

Mo Tianyu, with his messy hair, held onto his wine flask and glanced disdainfully at Jing Yue.

He took a mouthful of wine and sprayed it out as the wind blew.

The wine became a red mist in the moonlight, as if a mystical dragon had suddenly appeared in the night and breathed fire.

The mist hit the three flying swords, and each droplet of wine carried one ton of force.

Jing Yue's swords were instantly beaten aside and fell limply on the rooftop.

"Just a low level move, how uninteresting," Mo Tianyu laughed quietly.

In the courtyard, Jing Yue felt a chill go down his spine. This top disciple of Confucianism was a vicious man, all right… and he was really no match for him.

At that moment, Jing Yue felt the urge to turn around and run.

But…

He suddenly felt a little depressed, because he realized that his current status as Lu Fan's slave didn't allow for him to just turn around and run away whenever he liked anymore.

He couldn't be like how he was before.

At the same time, he thought about the otherworldly power Lu Fan had, and he immediately regained confidence. He wielded his sword as he lightly stepped onto the wall and started charging at Mo Tianyu.

On the rooftop…

Mo Tianyu pushed off the roof with his foot and broke a tile as he leaped off the rooftop.

His toes landed on the tip of Jing Yue's oncoming sword, and the force was actually powerful enough to push Jing Yue back down to the ground. They both fell back down toward the courtyard as Mo Tianyu's loud laughter rang out through the darkness.

Several swirls of Qi were gathering above Mo Tianyu's head, like a long, expanding rainbow.

Confucianist… Righteousness Qi!

DONG!

Mo Tianyu's mouth was like a fountain. It continuously spouted words, and each word rang like a cold coin clattering against the ground.

Jing Yue felt like his ears were going deaf, and even the sword in his hand was no longer steady.

PFFT!

Jing Yue spit out a mouthful of blood as he flew in the air and crashed onto the ground, the impact sending him stumbling backwards.

Each step he took caused the ground to crack.

"You might have stood a chance if all Seven Heroes of Sword Sect combined forces, but by yourself… you're no match for me. You have a long way to go."

On the ground of the courtyard…

Mo Tianyu elegantly landed. He lifted his flask and knocked back another mouthful of wine. It dribbled down his chin and onto his Confucianist robe as the sound of his laughter filled the air.

On the rooftop…

Ning Zhao lifted her Cicada Wing Sword and looked rather grimly at Mo Tianyu.

Mo Tianyu alone was stronger than the hundreds of Confucianists back at Beiluo Lake Island!

If she joined hands with Nie Changqing, they might stand a chance against Mo Tianyu.

But for some reason, Nie Changqing hadn't appeared, despite the big commotion.

Suddenly…

Ning Zhao's furrowed brows relaxed.

She looked toward the room that Lu Fan was in.

The tightly closed carved wooden red door was suddenly pushed open by a great force and produced a great "bam."

A cold and detached voice could be heard from within the room.

"Who taught you to wake me up in the middle of the night…"

Lu Fan's voice floated out from inside.

A huge gust of wind suddenly blew from inside the room.

Mo Tianyu stood in place, his Confucianist robe and untied hair flying wildly in the wind.

"Young Master Lu, I am Mo Tianyu, the top disciple of Confucianism under the Imperial Advisor. My teacher has sent me here to take you to the capital city. And, besides that, although my predictions have always been extremely accurate, I have miscalculated Young Master Lu's fortune twice… As such, I would like to tell Young Master Lu's fortune for free."

Mo Tianyu held his wine flask tightly and narrowed his eyes at Lu Fan.

Within the capital city, Mo Tianyu's nickname was "Mad Man," and because he was highly skilled, he was extremely bold, and wasn't afraid of anyone. He had literally kicked important officials before, all of which were in higher positions than Lu Changkong, and had even pointed his finger in their faces and scolded them.

His manner of appearing at Lu Fan's doorstep was polite by his standards.

But after he finished speaking…

Laughter came from within the room.

"This is your reason for waking me up in the middle of the night?

"Did you tell your own fortune before entering my courtyard?

"Are you even worthy enough to tell my fortune?"

Lu Fan's cold and detached voice came from within the room.

Each statement was accompanied by the distinct sound of a chess piece landing on a chessboard.

He made three statements, so he put three chess pieces down…

In the courtyard, his Spirit Pressure suddenly increased tremendously.

And…

Inside the room, the wind blew wildly, and there was a giant translucent hand made from flowing light blue wisps of Qi, its fingers spread out, except for the middle finger, which was folded on top of the index finger, as if it were putting a chess piece down.

It came toward Mo Tianyu's head and pressed down.

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Chapter 45: He Can Come Out of the Ground Whenever the Imperial Advisor Arrives

HWONNGG!

A wild wind suddenly blew through the courtyard.

The stone table and chairs started shaking, and the trees rustled, their leaves blowing in the wind.

Mo Tianyu's face was red, and his eyes were narrowed into slits. He couldn't believe it.

The person inside the room hadn't even shown his face, yet he was able to create a force as terrifying as if a deity had descended upon the earth!

The tremendous pressure made Mo Tianyu feel as if his very blood were turning solid.

Suddenly, he felt as he did when the Imperial Advisor was furious with him.

Mo Tianyu wasn't weak. He was a Seventh Resonance Grandmaster. It was rare for someone of his age to reach this level, which was why he acted so arrogantly.

But despite being a Seventh Resonance Grandmaster, he felt an overwhelming sense of defeat and helplessness when faced with that palm from inside the room.

The wind blew so hard that Mo Tianyu's robe stuck to his body, and his hair was blown back.

The palm, which was comprised of flowing wisps of light blue Qi, had its middle finger above its index finger, as if it had rolled back a sleeve to place a chess piece on a chessboard.

BOOOOM!

There was the sound of something exploding.

Mo Tianyu's wine flask exploded into pieces.

Blood sprayed from his mouth and nose.

Above his head, the Confucianist Righteousness Qi he'd been so proud of was completely scattered by this one move. That same Confucianist Rightousness Qi that he had used to push Jing Yue back down so easily was shredded like paper in front of this one finger.

KACHA.

An undefeatable pressure as heavy as a giant mountain landed on top of Mo Tianyu's head.

It pressed against him so hard that his neck started to bend.

HONNNGG!

An invisible wave of Qi rushed out.

Mo Tianyu could feel the ground beneath his feet crack open, and he was in great pain.

Everything went dark before his eyes, and he was left with nothing but wounds all over his body.

A terrifying pressure had just landed on the courtyard.

But the wildly blowing wind slowly came to a stop…

In the courtyard…

Jing Yue was sprawled on the ground, his face red and filled with sadness.

"Young Master… I'm one of yours!" Jing Yue barely managed to shout out.

The tremendous pressure immediately disappeared from the courtyard.

Jing Yue could feel the force pressing against his whole body slowly being lifted. Now, he could somewhat lift his neck.

Under the cold and clear moonlight…

The courtyard was a bit of a mess. There were fallen leaves everywhere, and the stone furniture had fallen over.

But what frightened Jing Yue the most wasn't the mess… in the middle of the courtyard, there was a head sticking out from the ground.

The owner of that head was the top Confucianist disciple who had defeated him with just one move… Mo Tianyu!

He looked extremely pitiful.

His audacity and stylish carelessness had become a thing of the past.

He'd been thrust into the ground like a radish by that godlike palm's attack.

He was left with only his head sadly poking out above the surface, and he was bleeding everywhere.

Jing Yue gasped, his entire body trembling.

He suddenly felt very afraid.

He was so glad that he'd made the choice to surrender so quickly, otherwise… he might've ended up no better than Mo Tianyu, who was now as good as half-dead.

Young Master's way of doing things… was very mysterious and difficult to predict!

Mo Tianyu was a Seventh Resonance Grandmaster Confucianist filled with Righteousness Qi.

With one word, he could stop the wind and blow the clouds away, and his Righteousness Qi could shake the world.

And yet, this Seventh Resonance Grandmaster, who could pretty much do anything he liked in Great Zhou… had just been slapped by a palm as if he were no more than an onion.

Ning Zhao floated back down and landed on the ground, her icy Cicada Wing Sword gleaming brightly.

She looked at Mo Tianyu indifferently, without sympathy or pity.

He deserved what he got.

She had tried to warn him, but this Mo Tianyu was overly confident in his own abilities and refused to listen to anybody. He even wanted to calculate Young Master's fate.

And so he eventually ended up in this tragic predicament.

Ning Zhao was actually a little surprised…

Young Master was such a petty man, but he hadn't simply killed Mo Tianyu off.

Mo Tianyu was bleeding from the nose and mouth. He had been thrust into the ground by that palm, and only his head stuck out.

His consciousness was a little blurred at this moment.

Lu Fan had asked him if he had told his own fortune.

Actually… before Mo Tianyu left the capital, he had already calculated his own fate.

And that calculation told him that he would meet with great fortune….

When Mo Tianyu thought about that divination result, he started feeling sad deep within his heart. Great fortune, my foot!

Earlier, he felt like he'd arrived at hell's gate.

Now, though he was in immense pain, his mind was extremely alert.

He couldn't help but think about how once before, the Imperial Advisor had sat down in the rocking chair in the front of the study and talked to him about life and death, a sad expression on his face.

So… death was extremely frightening after all.

Mo Tianyu looked toward the dark room.

From the moment he arrived, the person inside the room hadn't appeared. He hadn't even shown his face. He only said three things, put down three chess pieces, and then Mo Tianyu had ended up in his current state.

Mo Tianyu took a deep breath, but this made blood pour back into his throat, and he ended up coughing on his own blood.

Young Master Lu of Beiluo City… actually had this kind of supernatural power?!

"Young Master, what should we do with him?" Ning Zhao asked, glowing in the moonlight, as she held her Cicada Wing Sword and looked into the room.

Jing Yue staggered to his feet, his heart pounding, and put his swords back into his sword box.

It was completely dark and silent inside the room. There wasn't the slightest bit of light or the faintest sound.

After several moments, a calm voice floated out of the room.

"Kill him."

These words were light and buoyant as they echoed within the courtyard.

Ning Zhao's expression didn't change. She held onto her Cicada Wing Sword and nodded. "Got it."

But Jing Yue could feel himself trembling violently.

This man was Mo Tianyu, the top disciple of Confucianism… he was a disciple of the Imperial Advisor, so wasn't Lu Fan afraid of incurring the Imperial Advisor's wrath by killing him?

Jing Yue opened his mouth and tried to persuade Lu Fan to do otherwise.

But just as the words were about to leave his mouth… he chickened out.

What if Lu Fan misinterpreted his advice as him questioning his decision, and he killed him out of anger? What good would it do him to say anything, then?

So Jing Yue decided to keep quiet.

Ning Zhao's white dress flapped in the wind as she raised her Cicada Wing Sword. Her beautiful complexion was as exquisite as porcelain as the moon shone on her.

Her sleeves rolled back as she lifted her pretty hands. She was ready to chop Mo Tianyu's head off as if she were merely harvesting chives.

Suddenly…

From outside the room, a black figure, whose back was bent, landed on the ground in an instant.

"Young Master, you must not do this!" Old Huang urgently shouted in a hoarse voice, his heart nearly stopping as he saw what they were about to do.

Ning Zhao's hands froze.

There was a clanging sound outside the small courtyard.

Several figures came quickly barging into the courtyard.

Lu Changkong had a cold expression on his face. Wearing full armor, he carried his helmet in one hand while his other hand was on the long sword at his waist.

Luo Yue followed behind him.

When the two of them entered the courtyard, they saw Mo Tianyu's head sticking out of the ground with the help of the moonlight.

Luo Yue and Lu Changkong felt their hearts plummet into their stomachs. If Mo Tianyu hadn't turned his head a little to the side, they would have thought Mo Tianyu had been decapitated.

"Sister Ning, stop." Lu Fan's words floated out from within the room.

He had already felt Lu Changkong rushing over to them while Ning Zhao was preparing to chop off Mo Tianyu's head.

"Fan'er, are you all right?" Lu Changkong asked, concerned, as he looked toward the room.

If Mo Tianyu didn't have the Imperial Advisor backing him, Lu Changkong wouldn't have cared that Mo Tianyu was buried so deep in the ground that only his head stuck out.

Just the crime alone of trespassing Lu Manor in the middle of the night was sufficient reason for Lu Changkong to execute Mo Tianyu.

Inside the room…

There was a swishing sound.

Ning Zhao put her Cicada Wing Sword away and went into the room.

Soon enough, she emerged from the room pushing the wheelchair.

The cold moonlight shone on the red lips and white teeth of the elegant young man sitting in the wheelchair.

"I'm sorry for making Father worry about me. I'm in a good mood. Everything has gone really well today, so I'm actually very happy." Lu Fan smiled faintly.

In the middle of the courtyard…

Mo Tianyu finally got to see what Lu Fan looked like.

This was the terrifying person who had nearly killed him so easily just moments before.

So he was actually just a harmless-looking, elegant, fragile young man who was in a wheelchair.

For a long time, Lu Changkong asked Lu Fan a lot of questions.

Father and son continued to chat under the moonlight.

As for Mo Tianyu, they seemed to have completely forgotten all about him.

"Father, this man may be the top disciple of the Imperial Advisor, but even if it isn't necessary to execute him, he should at least be punished for disturbing my sleep… let's just leave him here for now, and we can tell the Imperial Advisor to collect him himself later. He can come out of the ground whenever the Imperial Advisor arrives," Lu Fan said calmly.

Once he said this, he didn't leave any room for negotiation. He then ordered Ning Zhao to push him back into the room.

Lu Changkong laughed. He didn't intend to put in a good word for Mo Tianyu either.

He seemed to have a tiny smile on his face as he glanced at Mo Tianyu, who looked like an onion stuck in the ground. Then, he brought Luo Yue and Old Huang out of Lu Fan's courtyard. Afterward, he ordered Luo Yue to pass the message onto the coachman waiting outside the door.

Inside the courtyard, Jing Yue carried his sword box and breathed a sigh of relief. But just when he was glad that he hadn't chosen to escape this time round, a calm voice suddenly surrounded him, and it felt like someone was whispering in his ear.

This low whisper carried a tone of authority that was not to be questioned.

"Watch him carefully. If he dies, I'll look for you. If he escapes… I'll look for you too. Watch him until the Imperial Advisor comes for him."

…

Fragments of moonlight shone through the carved window into the room.

Lu Fan sat cross-legged as he started to move his consciousness.

Mo Tianyu's appearance at Lu Manor was of little to no concern to him.

He had much more important things to do tonight.

He shifted his consciousness, and the stats menu appeared in front of him.

He looked at the Dao Impartment Platform under the Access Menu.

WONGGG…

A system prompt popped up.

[Dao Impartment Platform activated. Automatically deducting one point from Soul Strength…]

A bright light appeared in front of Lu Fan's eyes once more, as well as an overwhelming force.

When Lu Fan opened his eyes again, he realized he was sitting cross-legged in the middle of the Eight Trigrams shaped platform of the Dao Impartment Platform, and that Spirit Qi was slowly flowing around him in vast quantities.

Suddenly…

Another system prompt popped up, and Lu Fan slightly raised an eyebrow at it.

[Detected: Xiang Shaoyun (Identity: Mayor of West County) has successfully reached Second Stage Qi Core Realm. 1 wisp of Spirit Qi is available to take as commission. Confirm to take this commission?]

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Chapter 46: Immortal Cultivation Is Not For Those Without Sincerity

When Lu Fan saw the system prompt, he couldn't help but be surprised. "For real? Someone successfully refined a second wisp of Spirit Qi?"

It'd only been three days, yet someone had already refined a second wisp of Spirit Qi from one wisp of Spirit Qi.

The human body actually contains Spirit Qi. Everything in the world has a spirit. The only difference is the amount of Spirit Qi each thing has.

Starting from the day they're born, all creatures have a natural wisp of Spirit Qi.

Of course, with the passage of years, and the work of metabolism, that one wisp of Spirit Qi gradually wears down and hides in every corner of the body, decaying until it eventually completely fades away.

Under circumstances where there's no Spirit Qi in nature, the only way to refine Spirit Qi is to rouse and extract the natural Spirit Qi hidden inside the body.

This method was imaginably complicated, which proved how terrifying Xiang Shaoyun's gift for cultivation was.

[Dao Impartment Platform, though it claimed to have randomly chosen those people, its decisions appeared to have been heavily based on the targets' gifts.

Because all those chosen by Dao Impartment Platform were pretty much martial arts practitioners.

Of course, this was the case for Nie Changqing, too. He used to be Daoist No. 10. In fact, the emperor of Great Zhou, Yuwen Xiu, was also a martial arts practitioner.

As for Xiang Shaoyun, he was known as the Conqueror of West County for his almost supernatural strength and agility.

There were rumors that when Xiang Shaoyun was six years old, he was able to defeat a Grandmaster martial arts practitioner with his iron-like fists and his incredible strength. After he started practicing martial arts and the Transfusion Technique for Qi and blood, he started making even more astounding advances.

All in all, Lu Fan had heard that Xiang Shaoyun was absolutely one of the top three strongest martial arts practitioners.

He basically represented the peak of this Low Level Martial World.

"Confirm to withdraw."

Lu Fan settled his consciousness and chose to withdraw the one wisp of Spirit Qi.

All of a sudden, in the System Page, one wisp was added to the Spirit Qi stats. The total Spirit Qi went up to 101 wisps.

This could be considered Lu Fan's first solid step toward Refined Qi Level 3.

Lu Fan squinted his eyes and excitedly focused his consciousness.

Besides exchanging with his Soul Strength, another primary method for refining Qi was [Dao Impartment Platform]…

Performing Take As Commission had turned out to be super successful.

Lu Fan squinted his eyes at the thought. It seemed the plan of launching the Spirit Qi revival in this Low Level Martial World would start sooner than expected. It would be done by creating a Secret Realm.

He needed to provide some resources for the chosen ones to enhance their strength.

The stronger these people became, the more Spirit Qi could be gathered, and thus the more Spirit Qi there would be for Lu Fan to harvest.

However, he still needed to do more research on Create Secret Realm and the reflection of the location in reality, among other things.

He withdrew his consciousness.

Inside the Dao Impartment Platform, the Spirit Qi thickened.

And under it, three blurred figures had formed.

The three of them had even been communicating with each other for a while.

Of course, they were all quite cautious during their conversation. None had exposed their true identity. After all, Lu Fan once warned them about doing so.

Waves of Spirit Qi were rolling.

In a haze, the three of them all looked up and saw Lu Fan hunkering in the center of the Dao Impartment Platform, covered by Spirit Qi. To them, he was the Great Immortal Liu.

"It's our honor to meet with the Immortal again."

Xiang Shaoyun and Yuwen Xiu's eyes blazed with excitement as they clasped their hands together.

Their attitude was the complete opposite from last time.

Nie Changqing was also fired up.

On the platform…

Lu Fan's figure, surrounded by dense Spirit Qi, appeared extraordinary and ethereal. Expressionless, he glanced at the three of them and remained silent.

The atmosphere was eerily quiet.

It was very uncomfortable, as if bugs were crawling across their skin.

Xiang Shaoyun was the first to give in.

He looked up and turned his fiery gaze to Lu Fan.

"Immortal! It turned out that there really are Immortals in the world! I was so ignorant as to question the Immortal. That was extremely wrong of me. Today, I want to apologize."

Xiang Shaoyun, who was under the platform, said with his hands clasped together. He seemed very sincere.

"Please grant me the Immortal encounter one more time!"

Yuwen Xiu's face flashed with a sense of urgency as he opened his mouth to speak.

But…

Lu Fan, sitting in a haze of waves of Spirit Qi, stopped Yuwen Xiu before he could say anything.

"Everyone who comes to the place for Immortal cultivation can get one time of Immortal encounter.

"Once the Immortal encounter is granted, you shall not ask for it again. Otherwise, you will be expelled," Lu Fan said in a calm tone of voice, his words echoing around the Dao Impartment Platform.

The expressions on Xiang Shaoyun, Yuwen Xiu, and Nie Changqing's faces all changed slightly.

"Great Immortal! You once said that you could help us with the deduction of Transfusion Technique and develop it into a real Immortal cultivation technique. May I beg you…"

Xiang Shaoyun, on the other hand, obviously wasn't ready to give up so easily.

He had refined the second wisp of Spirit Qi and well understood its advantages, so he knew that the Immortal in front of them wasn't bluffing.

So he was also well aware of how important it was to have a cultivation method.

Although he had refined the second wisp of Spirit Qi, it was only because of his outstanding talents. It would be challenging for him to keep going without the help of a cultivation method.

After all, the natural Spirit Qi in the human body was limited.

But after Xiang Shaoyun finished speaking…

On the Eight Trigrams Platform…

Lu Fan shot him a glance.

And then casually flicked one of his sleeves.

Boom!

Under the platform…

Xiang Shaoyun's figure suddenly blurred as a terrible pressure fell down on him.

Xiang Shaoyun couldn't stand steady anymore. His knees wobbled, and he almost kneeled down on the ground…

"You want me to kneel down?!" His eyes bulged with fury. He staggered, resisting the pressure trying to force him to his knees.

He was the Conqueror of West County. He wouldn't bow down before anyone on earth or in heaven. Even if Lu Fan was an immortal, Xiang Shaoyun still wouldn't kneel to him.

He was prideful to the bone.

"If you ask for Immortal encounter, you need to show your sincerity. Immortal cultivation is not for those without sincerity."

Lu Fan said, emotionless, his figure obscured in the waves of Spirit Qi.

His tone was cold and condescending, as if he were looking down on them as lowly.

Yuwen Xiu and Nie Changqing also sensed the change in Great Immortal Liu.

In this moment, the Great Immortal Liu had finally made them realize what an Immortal was like.

His arrogance and aloofness, as well as his indifference toward all mortals, as if they were nothing, sent a chill down their spines.

Yuwen Xiu was a bit regretful.

If he had known that the first time he came to this place, he would've asked the Immortal for deduction of Transfusion Technique.

Then, asking for an Immortal encounter today wouldn't have been so embarrassing and pathetic.

The terrifying pressure fell on them again.

Xiang Shaoyun's spine was almost bent.

He looked up with a fierce look on his face, despite the fact that his figure made up of Spirit Qi was blurred.

On the Eight Trigrams Platform…

Lu Fan gave a half-smile.

He focused his consciousness.

Waves of Spirit Qi grew stronger and wilder, and more and more overwhelming.

This time, it wasn't just Xiang Shaoyun.

Both Nie Changqing and Yuwen Xiu's legs started shaking under the pressure.

Yuwen Xiu was shocked and furious. He was the emperor…

The ultimate supreme. How could he kneel down?

He couldn't. He wouldn't.

But…

In the Dao Impartment Platform, Lu Fan had absolute control.

Under the influence of his consciousness…

The pressure was more terrifying than the Spirit Pressure he created on the Spirit Pressure Chessboard by putting three chess pieces down in a row.

The three men below…

Their resistance didn't last long. One after another, they knelt down on the ground covered in Spirit Qi.

Especially Xiang Shaoyun, whose legs almost broke on his way down…

It hit Yuwen Xiu and Xiang Shaoyun hard spiritually. How come… they really knelt down?

Nie Changqing didn't take it too hard. Kneeling in front of an Immortal to ask for Immortal encounter seemed quite reasonable.

If he could learn one or two things from the Immortal, like Young Master Lu Fan's unbelievable Immortal-level technique of "chess-piece-turned Spirit Pressure," then it would be more than worthwhile to kneel down.

Xiang Shaoyun, whose whole body was prostrate on the ground, still managed to stubbornly lift his head. His body felt as if it were about to break into pieces under the pressure.

Yuwen Xiu was a little hazy.

In the center of Eight Trigrams Platform…

Lu Fan laughed, as if something had suddenly occurred to him. The sound of his laughter was like a nightingale's singing in a hollow valley, ethereal and melodious.

"Once you kneel to the Immortal, you'll get the Immortal encounter.

"Hidden Dragon Ridge of Great Zhou, the beginning of Spirit Qi revival…

"This is your Immortal encounter… Whether you seize it or not is up to you."

Lu Fan's words hit the three men hard, emotionally and spiritually. They all tried hard to figure out where "Hidden Dragon Ridge" was.

But before they could take in the information, the Immortal on the Eight Trigrams Platform snapped his fingers, and a flow of Qi roared toward them like a dragon and crushed their bodies.

The scene before them suddenly seemed to shatter into pieces.

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Chapter 47: Heavenly Go Manual

On the Dao Impartment Platform, only Lu Fan remained.

Hunched down with one hand holding his chin, Lu Fan was contemplating, and his eyebrows were tightly knitted together.

Lu Fan hadn't chosen Hidden Dragon Ridge at random. He had selected it after deep consideration. It was in his immediate control and would be used as the deployment location for his first Secret Realm.

Across the broad plain in front of Beiluo City, there was a ridge that looked like a dragon lounging on the flat ground. That was Hidden Dragon Ridge.

It was about thirty miles away from Beiluo City, which wasn't too far away, but it wasn't close either.

To Lu Fan, creating a Secret Realm wasn't that complicated. It was just like writing the code for an instance dungeon for a video game.

Yet, for this Secret Realm, he still needed to set some rules.

The first Secret Realm represented the beginning of the Spirit Qi revival.

Lu Fan had to make it impressive and striking for the people in this world.

"Yuwen Xiu and Xiang Shaoyun. One is the emperor of Great Zhou, and the other is the Mayor of West County. They're both extremely powerful and are able to deploy forces. By the time the two meet each other, the Secret Realm exploration spot might become their two armies' battlefield, which wouldn't be ideal for what the Secret Realm was created for in the first place: Dao Impartment. So one needs to have certain qualifications first to access the Secret Realm…"

On the Dao Impartment Platform, Lu Fan was lost in deep thought, and he rubbed his thin, long fingers.

His brain was working incredibly fast, considering all kinds of potential issues and problems.

Now that his Soul Strength was above 20, his consciousness was unprecedentedly clear and bright, and his thinking was more logical and organized.

Buzz…

After a long while…

Lu Fan took action.

"Activate [Dao Impartment Platform] Access… Create Secret Realm."

As his consciousness rolled and surged, Lu Fan slightly lowered his voice.

Waves of Spirit Qi were stirred up in a sudden wind, and they thickened as they whirled around.

Lu Fan's gown floated around him, and he looked like a legitimate Immortal, sitting on the clouds.

Eight Trigrams characters were floating in front of him, lining up to form a matrix.

Lu Fan reached out his hand and gently touched each character, as if he knew them by heart.

The next moment, everything started changing dramatically before Lu Fan's eyes.

It turned into chaos.

There was no sense of direction, no sky or earth to orient himself. There was nothing but a void filled with chaos.

Floating inside the space, Lu Fan frowned and raised his hands. Twenty-seven characters were whirling around his fingertips in different patterns.

Perhaps because he had access to Dao Impartment Platform, the meanings of all the rules formed by the characters were imprinted and displayed in Lu Fan's mind.

He could easily arrange them based on their meanings. He even felt as if he'd already gained the power to create a world at will.

Of course, his current ability wasn't enough to create a universe. After all, his Soul Strength still wasn't high enough for that yet.

He couldn't yet afford the cost to create a universe.

In the chaos…

Lu Fan slightly tapped the characters, one after another.

The characters then fell into the void one by one, hiding in the chaos.

Lines intertwined in front of Lu Fan, and Hidden Dragon Ridge eventually emerged.

The Hidden Dragon Ridge landform appeared in front of him in the form of lines.

Lu Fan waved his hands in the void to zoom in on Hidden Dragon Ridge, and cast a trigram label deep down into the ridge.

There was a giant crater deep down in the ridge, as if someone had once dug a hole there.

How should the first Secret Realm be presented?

Lu Fan had been thinking about it for a long time and had been mulling over an answer ever since he activated the Dao Impartment Platform.

Now he finally made a decision.

He planned to present the first Secret Realm as a tomb.

He planned to make an ancient tomb of a Qi Refiner, which had never actually existed in reality. There would be Spirit Qi inside the tomb, along with Immortal cultivation methods… that was the Immortal encounter he had talked about.

Of course, Lu Fan also set up some obstacles. But he didn't choose anything supernatural, like "ghosts" or "monsters."

After all, Wuhuang Continent was still a Low Level Martial World. If he set the defensive level for the Secret Realm too high and ended up killing all the explorers, then there wouldn't be a transformation to start with.

So Lu Fan only set up some tricks and traps on the body of the Qi Refiner he created.

As the Qi Refiner's tomb was being created, Lu Fan felt that his Soul Strength was quickly dwindling.

"After the Secret Realm is created, rules still need to be made for it…"

Lu Fan knitted his eyebrows.

His Soul Strength was limited, so he couldn't create a large range for the Secret Realm, which meant specific qualifications were necessary to enter it.

"Set up the rule: set ten Qi Plaques, five Heaven Qi Plaques, and ten Earth Qi Plaques. Only those with Heaven Qi Plaques or Earth Qi Plaques are qualified to enter the Secret Realm."

Lu Fan's consciousness started surging.

Soon, a system prompt popped up.

"Do you want to spend 5 points of Soul Strength to set up a rule for the Secret Realm?"

It cost 5 points of Soul Strength to make one rule, which Lu Fan wasn't too happy about.

Creating the whole Secret Realm would cost only 6 points of Soul Strength.

"Confirm."

But rules were necessary. There was no way around it.

5 points of Soul Strength instantly evaporated.

The next moment…

Before Lu Fan, Spirit Qi gathered and intertwined, forming ten plaques, each the size of a hand.

Five white, five black. On each of the white plaques, the character "heaven" was carved, representing Heaven Qi Plaque.

The character "earth" was carved on all the black plaques, representing Earth Qi Plaque.

"Set up the rule: outside the Secret Realm, the strength of defending Spirit Pressure: 25 times the Spirit Pressure formed by 100 wisps of Spirit Qi."

Lu Fan spent an additional 5 points of Soul Strength to set up another rule.

Two rules had been made, and Lu Fan's Soul Strength only had 3 points left.

Lu Fan shook his head, trying hard to endure the dizziness.

Following his consciousness, Lu Fan flicked his fingers.

The ten Qi Plaques instantly flew out into the void and disappeared.

[Create Secret Realm completed.]

[Launching Secret Realm Deployment, reflecting in reality.]

…

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Thick black clouds suddenly rolled across the sky, and the brilliant moon, which looked like a silver plate, was blocked, and darkness fell upon the world.

Thirty miles away from Beiluo City…

Hidden Dragon Ridge…

The ridge was long and narrow, and deathly still. But it suddenly started shaking violently. Rocks fell and bounced around as the whole place trembled, as if the earth were angry.

Deep down in Hidden Dragon Ridge, night crows and all kinds of birds leapt into the air and took off, all flapping their wings at the same time. In the darkness, it was unbelievably spooky.

The whole of Hidden Dragon Ridge seemed to be up to something big. It was glowing with faint blue light.

…

Lu Fan exited [Dao Impartment Platform] and opened his eyes.

His whole body was soaked with sweat, and he gasped a couple of times. Then he waited for a while, but…

"No rewards?"

Lu Fan lay in bed, exhausted.

Unlike when he created the Cultivation Manual Modifier, [All Method Furnace, this time, he didn't get any stat rewards.

Staring at the 3 points of Soul Strength now left on the System Page, Lu Fan rubbed the space between his eyebrows in distress.

On the bed, there were five technique manuals.

There were Transfusion Techniques, Military Strategies, etc.

Collecting five technique manuals wasn't easy. After all, Transfusion Technique manuals were incredibly rare in this world, not to mention that they needed to be above a certain level for Lu Fan's purposes.

If the manual's level was too low, even if it could be modified using [All Method Furnace, it might fail to evolve into a Spirit Qi Immortal Cultivation Method.

Among the manuals Lu Fan had collected were three Transfusion Technique manuals: Dispersed Earth Sutra, Zhongnan Sword Technique, and Righteousness Transfusion Technique. Lu Changkong had made Lu Fan a copy of Dispersed Earth Sutra, which was the Transfusion Technique Lu Changkong had been using all this time.

Zhongnan Sword Technique was the kind of Transfusion Technique used by Sword Sect. When Jing Yue surrendered to Lu Fan, he had given it to him in exchange for his life.

As to Righteousness Transfusion Technique, Lu Fan had obtained it from interrogating the Confucianists he had later killed.

Besides Transfusion Techniques, there were also two manuals about martial arts techniques: Sword Sect Flying Sword Technique and Bouncing Sword. They were both Sword Sect's techniques, and Lu Fan now had them thanks to Jing Yue's shameless contribution when he surrendered.

Now Lu Fan had collected all five of them, and hadn't wasted any time in doing so.

Lu Fan concentrated his consciousness.

All Method Furnace, which was the size of a hand, emerged on his palm.

A system message popped up.

[Do you want to spend 25 wisps of Spirit Qi to modify and deduce the available Transfusion Techniques and martial arts techniques?]

Lu Fan focused his eyes on the prompt.

"Yes."

It was only 25 wisps of Spirit Qi. He could afford it.

In the System Page, 25 wisps of Spirit Qi vanished at once.

The half-visible All Method Furnace on his palm started working, and the manuals on his bed changed. The words, as if they had suddenly come to life, jumped into All Method Furnace one after another.

As it worked, the palm-sized All Method Furnace looked as if it were covered in real flames.

A long while later…

Everything became quiet again.

A system prompt popped up in front of Lu Fan.

[Modification completed. Deduction and improvement of Provided cultivation methods and techniques completed. Level: Earth Level High Grade.]

The five scrolls lay quietly glowing on the bed.

Lu Fan's eyes narrowed.

Just as he picked up one of the scrolls and was about to read it…

More system prompts popped up.

[Side quest 1: Deduction of five Transfusion Techniques or martial arts techniques (current progress 5/5, completed).]

[Congratulations to the Host on completing [side quest 1, earning 5 Available Points and a Go Manual: Heavenly Go Manual.]

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Chapter 48: The Empire Will be Established for You

Late at night.

Western Liang.

In the camp, Xiang Shaoyun suddenly opened his eyes. Inside the tent, his terrifying Qi and blood were once again roaring.

His eyes were bloodshot, and blue veins stood out on his neck.

He raised his head. His thick, coarse hair was down, looking like whimsical, long steel needles. Inside his tall, strong body, there was startling Internal Blasting Resonance. Even the air around him bent and shuddered slightly.

"Immortal!"

Xiang Shaoyun's eyes blazed with anger and shame impossible to hide.

So what if the guy was an Immortal?

How dare he make him kneel?!

He, Xiang Shaoyun, wouldn't kneel to anyone in heaven or on earth… no one in the world was worthy enough.

Like a beast, he unleashed a growl, which echoed endlessly. It was so deafening that those who heard it felt as if their Qi and blood were going to explode inside their bodies.

Two restless wisps of Spirit Qi were entwining themselves around his strong arm.

"Shaoyun…"

In the distance, a soft voice sounded.

Under the moonlight, the girl was as gorgeous as a painting. She gazed at Xiang Shaoyun, her eyes shining with tenderness and worry.

Xiang Shaoyun covered his face and shook his head. Hearing Luo Mingsang's worried voice, he finally calmed down from the intense emotions bothering him

Yet the shame in his heart couldn't go away so quickly.

He was the Great Conqueror of West County, the lord of Western Liang. Even the Immortal had no right to make him kneel down.

Luo Mingsang looked so gentle and vulnerable, as soft and graceful as water. She walked to Xiang Shaoyun and put her arms around his wide, thick chest.

"You need to work on your temper," she said. "You're the commander in chief. You can't act so recklessly. Many things require patience and deep consideration. Don't act on impulse. It's better to think things over first. You can't expect to solve everything by force."

Luo Mingsang's voice was incredibly soft.

The irritability on Xiao Shaoyun's face softened. He stroked Luo Mingsang's hair with his fingers, greedily sniffing its pleasant scent. He smiled.

"You're wrong, Mingsang. There's nothing that force can't solve. If there is… it's because not enough force was used." Xiang Shaoyun spoke in a domineering manner.

"I used to believe that I represented the ultimate peak of martial arts in Great Zhou. But I was wrong. After I got an Immortal encounter, I realized that there's a world beyond the pinnacle of martial arts…"

Xiang Shaoyun raised his hand. The two wisps of Spirit Qi were calmly flowing in his palm.

"You are currently the commander in chief of thirteen counties," Luo Mingsang said softly as she moved her hands in a circular motion across Xiang Shaoyun's chest. Her tiny hands were smooth and delicate. "Don't get distracted by things like that. By the time you actually make it to the top and establish the new empire, I won't stop you from pursuing the martial arts Immortal encounter. But until then, you need to be cautious… after all, working with Hundred Schools of Philosophy is no different than asking a tiger for its skin."

One corner of Xiang Shaoyun's mouth curled up as he continued stroking her dark hair. His fiery gaze traveled outside of the tent.

"As I said before, I'm going to make you the queen of the emperor. The whole world will be conquered for you, and the new empire will be established for you."

"As to Hundred Schools of Philosophy… the day I take the throne will be the day I get rid of them all. Mingsang, you don't need to worry at all."

…

The Great Zhou Dynasty. Capital city.

The book tower.

Lying in his lounge chair, Yuwen Xiu opened his eyes, which were filled with shame and anger. It took him a long while to calm down.

"Your Majesty, how did it go? Did you get the Immortal encounter?" a gentle voice sounded from inside the quiet room.

The dim candlelight flickered in silence.

A white-haired elderly man with a healthy glow on his face gazed at Yuwen Xiu in a grandfatherly manner. He had on a plain gown and a pair of straw sandals.

In his hand, there was a letter that had been delivered by his coachman.

He'd read it already, yet his face hadn't changed at all.

"Let's just say I've got the Immortal encounter, Imperial Advisor," Yuwen Xiu said hesitantly as he rubbed the spot between his eyebrows.

"You have?" The Imperial Advisor seemed confused.

Yuwen Xiu hesitated for a moment and told him what had happened inside the Dao Impartment Platform.

"The place of Immortal encounter… Hidden Dragon Ridge?" the Imperial Advisor said. He stroked his white beard, a look of contemplation on his wrinkled face.

A moment later, the Imperial Advisor stood up and slowly walked to the bookshelf. He picked out an old piece of yellowed paper with topographic drawings of different places on it.

"Lying like a crouching dragon, entrenched near Beiluo City… Hidden Dragon Ridge is located 30 miles away from Beiluo City?"

The Imperial Advisor tapped his finger on the topographic map of Beiluo City, absorbed in thought.

"My Majesty," the Imperial Advisor said, "in today's world, people who've had the Immortal encounter appear frequently. The situation's become more complicated than ever."

Putting away the paper of topographic drawings, the Imperial Advisor coughed slightly.

"Your Majesty is one of the Blessed. Based on what you said, there are two more Blessed out there whose identities are unknown…

"Lu Ping'an from Beiluo City, based on my estimation, seems to be a Blessed. He has a follower who's able to control his knife from afar and move it through the air. He might be a Blessed too…

"It's hard to tell how many Blessed are out there, and abnormal events occur frequently. There, however, lies the hope for the Great Zhou to break the deadlock."

The Imperial Advisor coughed again. As old and withered as he was, his eyes were as bright as stars.

The hope to break the deadlock?

Yuwen Xiu's eyes lit up. As the emperor, he clearly knew the situation in Great Zhou.

The counties were gathering their armies to overtake numerous cities, and were sweeping their way toward him.

Because of the chaos caused by war, roving bandits were everywhere. The Great Zhou had pretty much lost its control over many regions.

Now, he couldn't do much except hide in the capital city.

"Imperial Advisor, can the Blessed really help our Great Zhou break the deadlock?" Yuwen Xiu asked with some excitement.

"As the emperor, if you can get help from the Blessed, it certainly will benefit the world…" the Imperial Advisor said as he looked outside the window, gazing at the stars in the night sky, and stroked his white beard. "Even dismissing the Hundred Schools of Philosophy might finally become more than a theory."

"My Majesty, please go to bed early. Tomorrow I need to pay a visit to Beiluo City…" the Imperial Advisor said.

Yuwen Xiu then clasped his hands and bowed to the elderly man. He then back-stepped and exited the room.

The elderly man's eyes softened as he watched Yuwen Xiu leave with the eunuchs waiting outside the book tower. The grandfatherly look remained on his face.

He coughed slightly as he sat in the recliner.

"The older I get, the less useful I become. I don't know how much longer I can help His Majesty shoulder the burden."

The flickering candlelight dimmed even more.

The Imperial Advisor let out a helpless sigh.

…

"Go Manual?"

Lu Fan was somewhat hunched in the dark.

He hadn't expected the reward to include a Go Manual this time.

Did that mean even the system was tired of him sucking at playing chess?

Lu Fan pursed his lips, focused his consciousness, and accepted the reward.

[Heavenly Go Manual: Soul Refining Meditation of Heaven Level Low Grade (upgradable). Playing pieces based on the Go Manual and assessing the situation can revive and even forge Soul Strength.]

[Hint: if used with Fantasy Creation Qi Refining Manual, it can increase the Qi Refining speed.]

Buzz…

In his mind, several Go Manuals emerged. They were all composed of black and white chess pieces arranged in different patterns.

Lu Fan was in a daze as a scene emerged in front of his eyes.

Under an old but strong pine tree, two figures were sitting across from each other, a chessboard between them. Leaves were dancing in the wind. The two played a game of chess as they enjoyed their tea, and as they played, the landscape dramatically changed. In the sky, galaxies of stars evolved, and it was as if the two weren't just playing with chess pieces, but everything in the world.

Lu Fan opened his eyes. Absorbed in thought, he grabbed the chessboard and placed it on his lap. He then took out the chess pieces and started laying them down according to the pattern in Heavenly Go Manual.

Heavenly Go Manual recorded nine patterns, each more difficult than the other.

The first game pattern was called Mountain River Strategy. There were 32 black pieces and 29 white ones.

Late at night…

Only the rhythmic sound of chess pieces could be heard.

The more pieces he played, the more energetic he became. The already-consumed Soul Strength was gradually revived as he became more absorbed in the game.

The pieces had been laid down. The night passed.

…

The next day.

Lu Fan picked up the chess pieces one by one from the chessboard and stretched.

It was a sleepless night, yet he had never felt more refreshed. Even his Soul Strength had been entirely revived.

Noises from outside the carved wooden vermilion door were heard, followed by a knock on the door.

Lu Fan answered.

Ning Zhao, Yi Yue, and Ni Yu pushed the door open and entered the room.

Ni Yu was carrying a basin of boiled water. Her cute face was flushed red by the steam. Yi Yue brought his breakfast.

"Morning," Lu Fan said with a smile.

The day was beautiful, and it started off with a luxurious morning.

Lu Fan had his breakfast with the help of three maids. He enjoyed it very much.

The carved wooden vermilion door opened.

Ning Zhao pushed the wheelchair at a steady speed, while Yi Yue held Lu Fan's umbrella for him. Ni Yu, who was carrying the chessboard on her back, followed behind.

In the yard…

Jing Yue seemed to have been up for a while. He rubbed his hands and put on a big smile as he saw Lu Fan, who was wearing a white gown.

"Morning, Young Master," Jing Yue said.

Lu Fan glanced at him and nodded slightly.

His gaze then traveled to Mo Tianyu, who was buried in the courtyard with only his head sticking out of the ground.

Mo Tianyu wasn't dead yet, but he looked extremely miserable. His hair was a total mess.

"Keep a good eye on him. If he dies or runs away, it's on you," Lu Fan said to Jing Yue.

Jing Yue's smile instantly froze.

"Sister Ning, let's head to White Jade City on Beiluo Lake Island," Lu Fan said, one hand supporting his chin while the other rested on the thin woolen blanket covering his knees.

"Sure," Ning Zhao smiled. She then pushed Lu Fan's wheelchair outside the yard, with Ni Yu and Yi Yue following behind them.

In the yard, only Jing Yue was left. Alone and miserable, he took over guarding Mo Tianyu's head.

As they left the yard, they saw Nie Changqing waiting outside with Nie Shuang, who, soaked in sweat, had obviously gotten up early to do exercise.

Lu Fan nodded slightly, and Nie Changqing and Nie Shuang also followed them.

The group left Lu Manor, got on the carriage, and headed toward Beiluo Lake Island.

At the same time…

Outside Beiluo City…

Five horses were galloping.

The carriage dramatically wobbled back and forth, and it didn't slow down until it was near the city gate.

At the front gate of Beiluo City…

Lu Changkong was waiting with Luo Yue and his son, Luo Cheng. Lu Changkong wore a satin gown, while the Luos wore plain clothes.

The carriage gradually approached.

Lu Changkong stared at the carriage as it stopped at the gate.

He stepped forward, respectfully put his palms together, and bowed.

"Welcome! Imperial Advisor."

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Chapter 49: An Old Man on the Lake; the Imperial Advisor Wouldn't Pull Out the Green Onion

Near Beiluo Lake,

The carriage moved slowly in the breeze, while the reeds and saplings on the lakeside swayed.

Nie Changqing rolled up the horse whip, hopped off the carriage, went to the side of the carriage, and laid down the door plank. Lu Fan then slowly rolled down in his wheelchair.

Ning Zhao's hands were on the wheelchair handles. He dress danced in the wind from the lake.

Holding the umbrella, Yi Yue watched the lake with anticipation in her eyes.

Ning Zhao had told her about the Young Master's Supreme Power, White Jade City, but she hadn't seen it yet. Today was the day! She could finally see it.

Ni Yu, carrying the chessboard on her back, had a hint of fear on her face. She looked at the rippling lake, about ready to cry.

A bo… boat… again?!

Nie Shuang, who was being led by the hand by Nie, quietly looked at the lake.

Lu Fan looked quite elegant and scholarly in his long white gown, along with his rosy lips, bright white teeth, and tuft of hair flapping against his forehead.

Watching the busy fishing boats on the pier, Lu Fan raised his eyebrows.

"All the fishing boats in Beiluo Lake can stay, but all other boats, including the recreational ones, need to be dismissed," Lu Fan said.

He rested his hands on the wheelchair armrests and gazed at the lake, which was obscured by mist.

"Nie, you're now in charge of guarding Beiluo Lake Island. Anyone who's not a disciple of White Jade City isn't allowed here without my permission. Anyone who disregards my warning and tries to enter the island can be eliminated," Lu Fan said emotionlessly.

"Yes," Nie Changqing said, a serious expression on his weathered face. His hand was already on the butcher knife at his waist, and his manner grew more imposing.

"Where's the old gentleman from the other day?" Lu Fan's voice softened.

After thinking about this for a moment, Nie Changqing said, "Maybe he's out fishing on the lake."

"We need that fishing boat to get on the island," Lu Fan smiled.

Ning Zhao parted her rosy lips and said, "Young Master, I've already had them specially prepare a boat for you to access the island." She slightly lowered her head, her long black hair draping down her shoulders.

What?

Lu Fan paused.

Then, he slightly waved his hand.

"Nope. I don't want it. I only want the old gentleman's fishing boat," Lu Fan insisted, a hint of caprice in his tone.

Ning Zhao was bewildered.

The boat she had prepared was big and comfortable. It was far better than the little fishing boat.

Was it because the Young Master had a taste for small fishing boats?

"How about I send someone right now to go find him on the lake?" Ning Zhao asked.

If her Young Master was capricious, she had no choice but to obey his whims.

"No need. There he is," Lu Fan said.

With a slight smile, Lu Fan leaned back in his wheelchair. He rested his cheek on his fist.

Ning Zhao paused for a second before looking up. She tucked a wisp of hair behind her ear and looked across the lake.

A lone narrow boat was floating their way. It rocked gently on the lake surface, which was obscured by the thick mist.

On the boat, an old man wearing a straw raincoat and a large bamboo rain hat was punting.

The fishing boat soon docked.

"Young Master, are you boarding?" the old man asked.

Under his bamboo hat, the wrinkled old man smiled broadly, revealing a missing front tooth.

"I thank you very much, sir."

Sitting in the wheelchair, the corners of Lu Fan's mouth curled upward as he gazed at the old man.

Nie Changqing stared at the old man. His eyes were unfathomably deep, and his eyebrows were tightly furrowed, as if he were thinking about something serious.

The group got on board. Lu Fan, sitting in his wheelchair, was placed in the center.

As soon as she got on the boat, Ni Yu immediately found herself a familiar spot and bent over the railing, preparing for the upcoming motion sickness.

Somewhat curious, Nie Shuang looked around the fishing boat.

Ning Zhao and Yi Yue stood on either side of Lu Fan.

Standing at the stern of the boat, Nie Changqing rested his hand on the butcher knife at his waist, and his eyes locked on the old man.

Splash.

As the old man punted hard, the boat started to move, leaving rings of ripples on the lake.

Less than a mile from the dock, the waves grew more prominent. Large, fat perches stuck their heads out of the water, spitting foam, before grunting and quickly dashing away, leaving nothing but a faint rippling ring.

On the boat was a fish junket, which was full of big perches flapping their tails and making noises.

"The fish is big and fat," Lu Fan said. He squinted his eyes, enjoying the refreshing wind off the lake and listening to the sound of the fish flapping in the junket.

The one-front-tooth old man grinned as he punted.

"Now, it's still late summer. The fish haven't gotten fat yet. Wait until late fall and early winter. By then, the fish will be a lot bigger. You simply cut the fish three times on each side using a kitchen knife, brush on some rice wine, add some sliced ginger and mushrooms, and steam it. The cooked fish is tender but not greasy at all. It's very delicious," the old man said. He laughed as he punted with one hand.

Ni Yu, who'd been retching over the side of the boat, became intrigued when she heard the man describe how to steam the fish, and she instantly looked better.

Lu Fan laughed.

"If the Young Master wants fish, how about I get up a little earlier tomorrow and get you some?" the old man asked.

Lu Fan waved his hand, enjoying the wind off the lake. "I don't want to bother you for fishing…"

"Well, next time then," the old man grinned.

"I don't need you to fish for fish. How about fishing for people? Would you be able to help me, sir?" Lu Fan asked.

Lu Fan's light laughter lingered on the lake.

As soon as he said these words…

The fishing boat fell into silence.

After hearing what Lu Fan said, Ning Zhao paused for a second and subconsciously glanced at the old man, a vigilant look in her eyes. She seemed to have picked up on something.

Nie Changqing had already taken out his butcher knife, and he softly wiped it with a piece of cloth as he watched the old man from the corner of his eye. The sound of the fabric rubbing against the knife was bloodcurdling.

The old man narrowed his eyes. His one-front-tooth grin froze.

"Young Master, I'm an old man. I don't want to get involved in anything murderous! I'm a good citizen!"

Suddenly, he tossed his raft and knelt down on the fishing boat, teary-eyed.

"Well, I'm a big fan of good citizens," Lu Fan said. He gazed at the old man with a half-smile.

Then, he exhaled.

"Actually, I've been curious. Why didn't you leave? Curiosity kills the cat, and it kills people too. So, what are you curious about?" Lu Fan asked.

Lu Fan's tone grew calm and cold.

Snap!

Ning Zhao's expression was ice cold as she slapped the armrest of the wheelchair. Her Cicada Wing Sword bounced out at once, and she instantly grabbed it.

Nie Changqing stood up at the end of the boat. He was ready to use Knife Control Technique.

The atmosphere became more and more intense.

The old man, kneeling on the fishing boat, was still trembling, his face covered in tears and snot.

"What are you talking about, Young Master? The old man can't understand!" The old man kept crying, and his voice was almost gone.

"Don't worry. You keep crying. I, the Young Master, am very good-tempered. The last thing I want to see is people crying…" Lu Fan said as his fingers lightly tapped the wheelchair armrests.

He squinted at the old man. "The more you cry, the more I want to laugh."

The old man stopped crying. He took off his large bamboo hat and wiped away his tears. Whenever Lu Fan claimed to be good-tempered, he started killing. The old man was well aware that it wouldn't do him any good to continue pretending.

The old man loosened the straw raincoat and unexpectedly revealed a clean and tidy white gown underneath.

He was even wearing a necklace made of three copper coins lined up on a gold string. He was also holding a polished turtle shell in his hand.

He broke the raft and took out a green bamboo staff about five feet long.

He was suddenly a completely different person. He transformed from an old fisherman to some kind of mysterious master.

With one hand holding the staff and the other holding the turtle shell, the old man gazed at Lu Fan with a smile, and bowed slightly.

"I'm from Astrologist Sect. Lv Mudui. Nice to meet you, Young Master."

…

The carriage curtain was lifted.

An old man with white hair got off the carriage with a gentle smile on his face. He lifted his hands to hold Lu Changkong, who deeply bowed.

"City Master Lu, please don't bother with the formality."

"Today, I come here because of a complicated situation. Besides apologizing for my disappointing disciple, I'm also here for Ping'an." The Imperial Advisor shook his head. He was thin and looked quite vulnerable. He sounded and looked helpless.

Lu Changkong gave a bitter smile. "My son has leg issues, so his temper has always been terrible. He's also very stubborn. He won't even listen to me, his own father. I feel so bad for Mr. Mo…"

The two continued their small talk and entered Beiluo City together.

Entering Beiluo City, the Imperial Advisor looked around.

Even though it had experienced Lu Fan's storm of purging, Beiluo City didn't look bleak at all. Instead, it was flourishing.

After several big merchants fell, many small business owners seized the opportunity to their own businesses. Many smaller aristocratic families, who had been living in the shadow of the three major aristocratic families, also started making their way up.

Beiluo City, unexpectedly, had become more lively than before.

A hint of surprise flashed in the Imperial Advisor's eyes. He then stroked his white beard while he thought.

"City Master Lu, I plan to meet with Ping'an. May I ask where he is?" the Imperial Advisor suddenly asked.

They were walking along the main street of Beiluo City,

Lu Changkong was caught off guard, since his plan was to bring the Imperial Advisor to the courtyard to pull out the "green onion," aka Mo Tianyu.

What?

The green onion.. Mo Tianyu, wasn't going to be pulled out by the Imperial Advisor right away?

Lu Changkong hesitated for a second before saying, "Imperial Advisor, how about we first go get…"

"No hurry. No hurry."

The Imperial Advisor let out a light cough and waved his hand.

Lu Changkong's face twitched slightly.

Was Mo Tianyu really his disciple?

No hurry? Seriously?

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Chapter 50: Spiritual Chrysanthemums Blooming. Spirit Qi Had Appeared in the World.

The Imperial Advisor wasn't in a hurry to get Mo Tianyu.

He even thought it would do him some good to suffer a little longer.

Mo Tianyu was simply too arrogant and ruthless. Self-proclaimed as "Mo the madman," he considered himself better than everyone else in the world.

He had sent Mo Tianyu to invite Lu Fan to meet him, yet Mo Tianyu not only failed to follow his instructions, but he also climbed over Lu Manor's wall and ended up being inserted into the ground like a green onion.

Mo Tianyu had it coming. All of it.

Based on the information he'd collected, the Imperial Advisor concluded that it was very likely that Lu Fan had obtained Immortal encounter and became one of the Blessed, just like the emperor.

Yes. The Imperial Advisor called those who'd obtained Immortal encounter the Blessed.

Based on what Yuwen Xiu told him, he even figured out who the other Blessed might be. He just didn't tell Yuwen Xiu about it.

He was prideful. He would never kneel to anyone on earth or in the heavens.

He'd rather kneel to the common people than to the Immortal.

Someone like that was rare in Great Zhou Dynasty.

Yuwen Xiu might not be able to figure out who the blessed were, but the Imperial Advisor could. He had researched all kinds of information from all around the world and had met with all sorts of people, so he was familiar with different types of characteristics and habits people had.

The Imperial Advisor had figured out three possible candidates for the other Blessed.

The first was Jiang Li, the City Master of Drunken Dragon City. This person had climbed the social ladder and made a name for himself in the Imperial Court. He was the late emperor's best weapon, as well as his most trusted subordinate.

After the late emperor passed away, Jiang Li started guarding Drunken Dragon City, the front gate of the empire, for the new emperor.

The second was the Mayor of West County, Xiang Shaoyun, aka the Conqueror of West County and the Lord of Western Liang.

The third one was Mo Tianyu. Well, might as well not mention him.

According to the Imperial Advisor, if Jiang Li was one of the Blessed, this wasn't necessarily a bad thing for Great Zhou.

But…

If Xiang Shaoyun had become one of the Blessed, the situation of the world would become even more complicated.

Xiang Shaoyun teamed up with Mohist, one of the strongest among the Hundred Schools of Philosophy. In the Imperial Advisor's eyes, Xiang Shaoyun was no match for Mohist, even though he was a top-level martial arts Grandmaster.

But if Xiang Shaoyun became a Blessed, thing would become more complicated.

Besides saving Mo Tianyu, the reason the Imperial Advisor had come to Beiluo City so soon was for Lu Fan.

Lu Ping'an from Beiluo City was also a Blessed.

If the Imperial Advisor wouldn't go "pull the green onion out," Lu Changkong couldn't make him. He'd learned that Lu Fan had left home to collect the brothel from the three major aristocratic families as rent payment.

He then ordered to have a carriage ready to take the Imperial Advisor to Beiluo Lake Island.

…

Beiluo Lake Island.

The surface of the lake rippled in the breezy wind.

On the fishing boat…

An older man in a white gown held a green bamboo staff in one hand and a smooth, polished turtle shell, which was quite eye-catching, in the other. His eyes were bright and deep.

"Astrology Sect?" Lu Fan slightly raised his eyebrows.

Astrology Sect was quite mysterious among Hundred Schools of Philosophy. Those in the sect were known for their skills in deduction, calculation, and divination.

"Interesting. Daoist and Sword Sect of Hundred Schools of Philosophy had both sent people to Beiluo City. I had all of them killed. Their bodies are at the bottom of this lake. So I'm curious. Why didn't you leave?" Lu Fan asked.

Lu Fan, who was leaning back in his wheelchair, was playing with a black chess piece in one hand as he enjoyed the breeze over the lakeside. His tone was flat.

Nie Changqing deployed Spirit Qi from his Qi Core, and the Spirit Qi started swirling around his butcher knife. His eyes were cold and intense.

Ning Zhao did the same.

Quite alert, Yi Yue had one of her delicate hands resting on the whip tucked at her waist.

"Barf…"

Clinging to the edge of the boat, Ni Yu was still retching, ruining the atmosphere.

"Young Master Lu, please don't be so confrontational. Let's talk. We astrologists never interfere with the affairs of the Imperial Court or those of the martial arts world. So Young Master Lu has no reason to kill me, does he?"

Lv Mudui grinned, revealing a missing front tooth.

"Your smile… is too ugly. Does that count as a reason?" Lu Fan lightly rubbed the chess piece in his palm.

At Lu Fan's words, Lv Mudui's grin froze. He pressed his lips together, subconsciously trying to hide the gap in his teeth.

"Okay, I'm not going to kill you for now," Lu fan said. "Let's go on the island together. I have something to ask you. If you give a good answer, you can live."

"Nie, start the boat," Lu Fan said.

"Yes."

Nie Changqing had a cold, serious expression on his face. He was standing at the back of the boat, and was slightly leaning back against it. His Qi and blood were roaring. He pressed his feet down on the boat, and the boat quickly sped up and flew toward Beiluo Lake Island.

The fishing boat sailed across the dark green lake, scaring the fish and gulls, who all took off at once.

Soon…

The boat docked.

Sitting in his wheelchair, Lu Fan got off the boat as Ning Zhao pushed him forward.

Yi Yue carried Ni Yu, who looked exhausted and miserable. They also followed Lu Fan at his side.

The white-gown-wearing Lv Mudui of Astrology Sect stepped off the fishing boat while tapping his green bamboo staff.

What?

As soon as he got off the boat, his whole body trembled.

The little island seemed different. He took a deep breath, raised his head, and closed his eyes.

There seemed to be a Qi flow quickly flying between the sky and the earth like a fish dashing back and forth in the water.

This was…

Lv Mudui's eyes bulged with shock and wonder.

He looked around and found that all the grass, flowers, and trees on the island were withered. Ten plants were in their place.

He looked closer and found that they were all chrysanthemums.

What, chrysanthemums?

The look on Lv Mudui's face as he stared at those three-foot tall chrysanthemums, whose stems were as thick as a girl's wrist, was priceless.

The strange flow of Qi seemed to be coming from the chrysanthemums.

What kind of Qi flow was this?

And why did he have such a strong desire for it?

In fact, it wasn't just Lv Mudui who desired it. Ning Zhao, who was pushing the wheelchair, and Nie Changqing, who was holding Nie Shuang, also felt their hearts stir with longing.

They knew what it was like to have Spirit Qi, so their reactions were even more intense!

The Qi flowing around the island like fish through water was … the extremely precious Spirit Qi!

Was there natural Spirit Qi in the world?

No…

Nie Changqing and Ning Zhao suddenly realized. The Spirit Qi was there… because of the chrysanthemums the Young Master had planted.

Nie Changqing and Ning Zhao, who at first thought this was a bit strange, were now thrilled. There was finally Spirit Qi in the world. Did that mean they could now absorb the Spirit Qi this way and break through the realm?!

"Wow, they're blooming?" Lu Fan asked. His eyes lit up.

Gazing at the ten Heaven Facing Spiritual Chrysanthemums breathing in and out Spirit Qi, he smiled broadly.

They didn't waste the Qi they had absorbed from half the peach trees on the island.

There were ten Heaven Facing Spiritual Chrysanthemums. Each could produce one wisp of Spirit Qi every three days.

That made ten wisps. If the Spirit Qi wasn't consumed, the Heaven Facing Spiritual Chrysanthemum would keep it, but if it was consumed, it would produce another wisp of Spirit Qi within three days.

Lu Fan thought it would take some time for the Heaven Facing Spiritual Chrysanthemums to bloom. He hadn't expected them to thrive so soon.

What a surprise!

Lu Fan hadn't done much research on Heaven Facing Spiritual Chrysanthemums.

He told Ning Zhao to push him to the entrance of White Jade City.

"Please," Nie Changqing said to Lv Mudui.

With the butcher knife carried over his shoulder, Nie Changqing glanced at Lv Mudui, a stony expression on his face.

Lv Mudui reluctantly looked away from the Heaven Facing Spiritual Chrysanthemums and swallowed. His stomach was churning.

He found Lu Fan more and more mysterious.

Lv Mudui stepped up the black brick stairs and walked up to the building, lightly tapping his green bamboo staff against the ground.

He was about to follow Lu Fan and enter the building of White Jade City.

But he suddenly stopped in his tracks.

As if sensing something, he looked up and gazed at the vertical inscribed boards on either side of the door.

A pair of couplets had caught his eyes, even though they didn't look like anything special.

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Chapter 51: If You Fight Against the Immortal, the Fun is Endless

"The sky is a chessboard, the stars are its pieces."

"The ground is a lute, the roads are its strings."

Lv Mudui stared at the words inscribed on the vertical boards and couldn't help but read them aloud.

He felt his whole consciousness shake, and a look of astonishment crossed his wrinkled face.

The vertical inscribed boards, made of black iron, bore an overwhelming, terrifying power that rushed at his face. He staggered under the immense pressure and stepped backward. With each step he took, a black brick cracked beneath his feet.

Suddenly, he forcefully tapped his bamboo staff against the stair and tightly closed his eyes.

After a long while, he slowly exhaled.

Lv Mudui turned away from the couplets on the vertical boards. He didn't dare to read them again or ask about them.

With a stony expression on his face, Nie Changqing held his butcher knife and cast a glance at Lv Mudui.

Lv Mudui's willpower was stronger than his.

There came the sound of wooden wheels rolling across the ground.

Lu Fan, who was being pushed by Ning Zhao, came out of White Jade City.

"That's a shame. Since you can't bear the pressure from the couplets at the front door of my White Jade City, you can't enter the building…" Lu Fan said calmly, his chin propped on one hand.

Lv Mudui clasped his hands, and, smiling bitterly, he said, "Sorry to disappoint you, Young Master Lu."

Lu Fan waved his hand. "No worries. Since you can't go inside, let's just talk here."

Lv Mudui straightened his collar, a serious look on his face.

"Young Master Lu, please go ahead."

Lu Fan straightened the thin woolen blanket on his lap. "I've heard that those from Astrology Sect can calculate anything in the world… I happen to have something I'd like you to calculate for me." Sitting in his wheelchair, Lu Fan gave a half-smile.

Lv Mudui's eyes grew intense.

Lu Fan didn't waste any more time. He flipped his hand, and an ivory color jade plaque appeared in his palm.

Lv Mudui gazed at the plaque, looking a little confused.

"This is called a 'Heaven Qi Plaque,'" Lu Fan said slowly. "There are five of them. There are also five 'Earth Qi Plaques.' They grant entrance to the Secret Realm of Hidden Dragon Ridge. In Hidden Dragon Ridge, one has a chance to get Immortal encounter. Only those with 'Heaven Qi Plaques' or 'Earth Qi Plaques' are allowed to enter the Secret Realm and get Immortal encounter."

After he said this, everyone went breathless for a moment.

Nie Changqing's pupils dilated in astonishment.

The Young Master mentioned… the Secret Realm of Hidden Dragon Ridge?!

It struck him that when he was in the cultivation space and obtained his Immortal encounter by kneeling in front of the Immortal, the Immortal had also said there's Immortal encounter in Hidden Dragon Ridge!

The Young Master had also been illuminated by the Immortal! He knew it!

As to "Heaven Qi Plaques" and "Earth Qi Plaques," if Lu Fan hadn't explained them, Nie Changqing wouldn't have had any idea what they were.

Lv Mudui trembled all over.

Immortal encounter?

Heaven Qi Plaques and Earth Qi Plaques?

These words struck Lv Mudui.

The Astrology Sect's Philosopher, who hadn't done any fortune-telling for five years, recently did a calculation and sent Lv Mudui to Beiluo City, claiming there was a significant encounter here.

At first, he hadn't given it that much thought. Astrology Sect wasn't concerned about societal affairs or the Imperial Court. They were carefree. What did they need the encounter for?

So what if one could reach the level of top martial arts practitioner like the Conqueror of West County?

A hundred years later, wouldn't he still be nothing more than remains, having long since become one with the earth?

But he was wrong. Ever since he entered Beiluo City in the guise of a fisherman, he'd seen too many things that were way beyond his comprehension.

On Beiluo Lake, Nie Changqing had killed the Confucianists through the air from afar.

On the miles-long main street, Young Master Lu had gracefully placed a chess piece down and put extreme pressure on a swordsman.

Now there was this island covered in Spirit Qi, and half of the island had Heaven Facing Spiritual Chrysanthemums planted on it.

He caught something extraordinary in all this.

And ever since he met and talked to Young Master Lu, this feeling had only gotten stronger. To others, this young man was the Young Master Lu who "had crippled legs, was depressed, and useless," which misled the entire world about who Lu Fan really was. At the moment when Beiluo City was on the brink of crisis, he had revealed his sharp claws and teeth to the world.

He attempted to tell Lu Fan's fortune, but halfway through, he stopped and didn't dare to keep going.

Because he'd never seen such a horrible fortune before.

Perhaps only the Astrology Sect's Philosopher himself could tell Young Master Lu's fortune.

Lu Fan's fortune wasn't for him to tell!

He finally realized what kind of encounter the Astrology Sect's Philosopher had been talking about…

An ordinary martial arts encounter was nothing.

What the Philosopher meant was Immortal encounter!

Once a person got Immortal encounter, he might obtain immortality.

Immortality was what Astrology Sect pursued, and it was what Lv Mudui wanted too!

"Young… Young Master Lu, what can I do for you?"

Lv Mudui felt his mouth go dry, and his tongue felt like sandpaper. He could no longer remain calm.

Sitting in the wheelchair, Lu Fan was lightly stroking the "Heaven Qi Plaque."

He detected the change in Lv Mudui's mood and knew that he had realized something.

Lu Fan's gaze casually shifted to Lv Mudui.

"Not much. I just need you to calculate where the other nine 'Heaven Qi Plaques' and 'Earth Qi Plaques' are located," Lu Fan said flatly.

His eyes were blazing.

He had set up the rule of Heaven Qi Plaques and Earth Qi Plaques. He'd also randomly sent the ten Qi Plaques to different places throughout the Great Zhou Dynasty.

To transform a Low Level Martial World to a Mid Level Martial World, even a High Level Martial World, he needed to start by changing people's existing perceptions and getting them to accept the revival of Spirit Qi.

The Heaven Qi Plaques and Earth Qi Plaques would be the key to launching the revival of Spirit Qi.

Lu Fan's request made Lv Mudui freeze.

He took off the three copper coins hanging from around his neck. He grabbed them with a particular movement and closed his eyes for a while. When he opened his eyes again, he was staring at Lu Fan.

He revealed the only front tooth he had left and forced a laugh. "Young Master Lu…"

"Can you calculate it?" Lu Fan asked.

Lu Fan was still playing with the Heaven Qi Plaque.

"No… I can't…"

Lv Mudui tightly gripped the coins in his hand and swallowed.

Lu Fan paused and slowly looked up at him. "You don't need to find each plaque's exact locations. As long as you can give me a range within 30 miles, that would be fine."

Lv Mudui trembled. "No… I can't…"

Lu Fan raised his eyebrows and sighed. "Can you tell the activation time of the Immortal encounter Secret Realm of Hidden Dragon Ridge?"

Lv Mudui's legs turned to jelly, and his hand tightened around his bamboo staff.

"Young Master Lu, this old man… cannot."

Bang! Lv Mudui tossed the bamboo staff aside before dropping to the ground and crying.

Lv Mudui had initially been quite confident in himself. After all, he was the most outstanding disciple of Astrology Sect's Philosopher. But now, he had broken down.

Lu Fan asked him three times. He said he couldn't do it three times.

Lu Fan had seen through his disguise, so he'd stayed and waited for Lu Fan on purpose to show off, and the result…

Watching Lv Mudui howl, Lu Fan became confused. This old guy… is crying again?!

"Don't worry about it. It's normal that you can't do it. After all, it involves Immortal encounter. If you had been able to do, then the Immortal would probably need to reflect on his own performance," Lu Fan said.

He laughed and then said in a more serious tone, "How about you go ahead and spread the news about 'the Immortal encounter Secret Realm of Hidden Dragon Ridge' and the role of 'Heaven Qi Plaques and Earth Qi Plaques'? Can you at least do that?"

Lv Mudui stopped crying. He wiped the tears from his red eyes, looking quite surprised. "Young Master Lu, you plan to tell the world about the Immortal encounter?"

Lv Mudui couldn't understand why Lu Fan wanted to do this. If he told everyone the news… wouldn't that increase the competition?

He didn't at all imagine that this was precisely what Lu Fan wanted. Lu Fan wanted to spread the news far and wide.

"You think the Immortal encounter is easy to get? Since ancient times, all treasures have been guarded by something extraordinary, and the same is true for the Immortal encounter. I don't want to be the pathfinder. If I fall for some trap, then everything will be over, so I need to find out the situation in the Secret Realm first," Lu Fan said.

Lu Fan's fingers were lightly tapping against the wheelchair armrests.

"Go spread the news so that all kinds of people from all over the world will come to check it out. And if there are traps or something else, they'll be revealed, and I'll have time to prepare for them before going there myself. As for who's going to profit from it in the end…"

Lu Fan paused, and one corner of his mouth curled upward. He looked up and gazed into the distance.

"My White Jade City will."

Nie Changqing and Ning Zhao straightened up when they heard Lu Fan's words.

As disciples of White Jade City, they both became fired up upon hearing the news.

Lv Mudui's eyes also became intense.

Was White Jade City part of Lu Fan's range of power?

Lu Fan was looking at the "Heaven Qi Plaque," and the look in his eyes was profound.

"The Immortal wanted people who have 'Heaven Qi Plaques' or 'Earth Qi Plaques' to fight for the Immortal encounter. What's his purpose? Since I can't figure it out, I might as well muddy the waters."

The corners of Lu Fan's mouth curled upward, and he said in a low voice, "It'll be endless fun fighting against the Immortal."

Lv Mudui's breath caught in his throat. In that moment, Lu Fan looked incredibly handsome.

Fighting against the Immortal…

Who on earth would dare to fight against the Immortal?

"No worries, Young Master Lu. I will take care of it," Lv Mudui said in awe.

Lu Fan leaned back in his wheelchair and waved his hand. "You can go now. Afterwards, if things work out, you can get your Immortal encounter too."

Lv Mudui looked a little excited.

"Nie, please show him the way out," Lu Fan said.

Ning Zhao then pushed the wheelchair forward, and they entered White Jade City and disappeared.

Nie Changqing, stone-faced, gestured to Lv Mudui that he was free to go.

…

Ning Zhao pushed the wheelchair along, her eyebrows furrowed. "Young Master, do you really trust him? What will we do if he betrays us?"

Lu Fan closed his eyes and leaned back in the wheelchair, his gown as white as snow. He smiled at Ning Zhao's question.

"Don't worry. Astrology Sect martial arts practitioners aren't usually very strong in martial arts. Their strengths lie in deduction and fortune-telling. Even if he doesn't have much fighting ability, if he can gather all the strong characters, he might be able to survive by avoiding dangers and pursuing good fortunes. But he won't get an Immortal encounter."

"But he's working with us, which is different. I promised him the Immortal encounter, and I'm going to keep my word. Plus, if he can really calculate, he should be able to tell that working with me will work out the best for him," Lu Fan said.

Ning Zhao couldn't understand.

Suddenly, something occurred to her, and she looked worriedly at Lu Fan. "Young Master, are you really going fight against the Immortal? Won't that be dangerous?"

Lu Fan opened his eyes, the corners of his mouth curled upward. "Dangerous?"

"No. Safe. Very safe. Our White Jade City's tenet is… If you fight against the immortal, the fun is endless," Lu Fan said.

He burst out laughing.

Ning Zhao was puzzled. She didn't understand why he was laughing.

Suddenly, Lu Fan stopped. As if sensing something, he lightly tapped his fingers against the throw on his legs.

It was a long time before he spoke again.

"Sister Ning, let's get downstairs and welcome our important and respected guest. Yi Yue, go heat up a pot of green plum wine. Ni, light up the sandalwood scent and take out the chessboard."

…

On Beiluo Lake…

Its green surface was rippling.

The Imperial Advisor, who was on a fancy wooden boat, had his hands crossed inside his long, wide sleeves, and was leaning leisurely against the bow of the boat. He gazed at the silhouette of the island obscured by the lake's thickening mist, and squinted his eyes. His white beard was softly moving in the wind.

Lu Changkong and Luo Yu were standing next to him, enjoying the refreshing breeze.

Suddenly…

The thick fog parted.

A lone narrow boat was moving toward them, swaying back and forth. Lv Mudui, who was in a white gown and holding a green bamboo staff, was sitting at its bow.

On the big wooden boat, Lu Changkong and Luo Yue's eyes focused on Lv Mudui.

The Imperial Advisor, on the other hand, lightly stroked his white beard and smiled. "Lv Mudui, from Astrology Sect."

On the small boat, Lv Mudui was a little surprised to see the Imperial Advisor. He stood up and bowed to him in a manner befitting a disciple.

They looked at each other in silence.

The two boats sailed past each other. One was leaving the island, and the other was heading toward it.

The Imperial Advisor withdrew his gaze.

The wooden boat kept gliding across the mist-covered surface of the lake, breaking through the mist.

Just as the fog in front of them started to dissipate…

In front of them, on the lake…

A strong man with his hair down and a butcher knife in hand was standing on a piece of deadwood floating atop the lake.

He was the only man guarding the entrance that no one was supposed to come through without Lu Fan's permission.

He saw the wooden boat.

The man slowly looked up and let out a sigh. "It's the Young Master's order. Anyone who isn't a disciple of White Jade City isn't allowed on the island."

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Chapter 52: The Imperial Advisor Arrived at the Island Smiling; Righteousness Qi VS. Spirit Pressure

Nie Changqing was standing on a piece of deadwood that was floating on the surface of the lake. His acrobatic technique was truly amazing.

Only martial arts practitioners with excellent command of their physical strength could achieve such a technique. Even regular Grandmasters couldn't execute acrobatic techniques of this level.

On the wooden luxury boat…

The Imperial Advisor had an amiable look on his face, and his white hair and beard were gently dancing in the soft breeze.

Lu Changkong frowned. Luo Yue was also a little confused.

"White Jade City? Is this the power base Fan'er put together?" Lu Changkong murmured.

Lu Fan mentioned before that he was going to build a power base, but Lu Changkong didn't expect him to complete it so quickly.

Lu Changkong glanced at the Imperial Advisor, and then shouted at Nie Changqing, "This is the Imperial Advisor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. Fan'er would certainly allow us to come onto the island."

He was Lu Fan's father. There was no way he wouldn't be allowed to enter Beiluo Lake Island, right?

Nie Changqing's eyes narrowed as he gazed at Lu Changkong.

His stray hair danced in the breeze as he took a deep breath and shook his head. "No one is allowed to come onto the island without Young Master's permission."

Lu Changkong hadn't seen that coming. Such a bullheaded man. So stubborn!

On the wooden luxury boat, the Imperial Advisor laughed. He combed his fingers through his white beard and squinted his eyes, gazing at Nie Changqing with admiration.

"Ping'an has a good eye for disciples. He's got a good one," the Imperial Advisor said with a gentle smile.

Nie Changqing didn't deny it. It seemed reasonable for him to call him Lu Fan's disciple.

"The former outcast of Daoist, Nie Changqing… Daoist No. 10, Unparalleled Knife. I didn't expect that you would rise like a phoenix from the ashes and be reborn…" the Imperial Advisor said.

He adjusted his relaxed position and stood up on the boat. He kindly looked at Nie Changqing. "The old fart of Daoist acted so unreasonable, and drove you to hopelessness. Changqing, do you hate him?" he asked.

On the lake, the deadwood under Nie Changqing started moving. It split the water and carried Nie Changqing forward.

He shook his head. "No," he said. "I've had a poor, tough life ever since I was little. After my parents died, I started begging on the main street, and was badly beaten up several times. It was His Excellency who pulled me out of that misery, taught me Knife Technique and martial arts, and led me to finally find my place in society. How could I hate him?"

Standing at the bow of the boat, the Imperial Advisor's figure seemed even more slender and vulnerable as his long and wide gown danced in the wind.

"But he also caused you, your son, and your wife to be separated. He even sent people to kill you…"

Nie Changqing shook his head. "I owed His Excellence for what he gave me, so I don't hate him. But… on that day when Han Lianxiao came to kill me, I paid back the life I owed His Excellence. Now, I owe no one… except the Young Master. When I become accomplished, I alone will attack Daoist with my knife, save my wife, and fulfill my promise to reunite my family."

Nie Changqing's long sideburns danced in the wind, and his eyes were narrowed and full of determination.

As his words faded away…

Nie Changqing's feet suddenly pushed down on the floating deadwood he was standing on, and one end of it sank and made ripples in the water.

Nie Changqing dashed through the air, his butcher knife flying out of his hand and floating in front of him.

He pulled one wisp of Spirit Qi from his Qi Core, and the Spirit Qi started swirling around his body.

"Please leave, Imperial Advisor," he said, his loose hair dancing in the wind.

On the wooden boat…

Lu Changkong furrowed his brows. But he wasn't mad. He merely looked at the Imperial Advisor.

Luo Yue's hand was gripping the long knife at his waist. Nie Changqing exuded terrible pressure. Even though Luo Yue was a First Tier martial arts practitioner, he almost couldn't bear it, and was covered in a cold sweat.

Standing at the bow of the boat, the Imperial Advisor's long gown danced and rustled in the wind, and his eyes were deep, yet cloudy.

"You're a righteous man with a humble heart, who holds gratitude rather than grudges. You've got potential. What a shame Ping'an took you under his command first. Otherwise, I also would've loved to teach you a thing or two. Compared to Mo Tianyu, you have a better sense of humility." The Imperial Advisor let out a sigh.

The expression on Nie Changqing's face didn't change. "The Young Master gave me a second chance at life. I will repay him with my loyalty. Forgive me, Imperial Advisor."

Nie Changqing dashed into the air from the bouncing power of the deadwood.

He swung his arms.

The butcher knife, which was covered with Spirit Qi, suddenly struck down.

The knife's invisible Qi formed a shadow on the lake, and the mist covering the lake dispersed, as if it were being chopped away by the shadow.

The water in the lake split apart, and white waves billowed like serpents and snaked their way to the wooden boat.

The Imperial Advisor, standing at the bow with his hands clasped behind his back, still had a calm and amiable expression on his face.

Even when faced with such a terrifying strike, his face didn't change, as if what was coming was no more than a gentle wisp of wind.

Yet on the wooden luxury boat…

Lu Changkong and Luo Yue felt an incredible, immense pressure, and the water around them roared as if it were boiling.

Above them, thick Qi was gathering into a massive vortex above the boat.

"Gentlemen with such concentration, gentlemen with such noble attitude. Such gentlemen shall not be forgotten…"

His chants echoed on the lake. The Imperial Advisor, in his wide gown, had his hands clasped behind his back, and his white hair and beard were dancing in the wind.

With Righteousness Qi floating above him, the Imperial Advisor stared straight at Nie Changqing, unperturbed.

Nie Changqing's butcher knife was dashing straight toward the Imperial Advisor.

The fish in the lake were terrified, and started swimming wildly. The knife's strike split the water, and the knife's Qi filled the air. It was so powerful that it made one's flesh crawl.

The scene reminded Nie Changqing of when he defeated numerous Confucianists on Beiluo Lake with his knife.

This time, his knife's target was the Philosopher of Confucianism.

Three feet from the wooden boat, however, the flying knife suddenly froze.

It was as if the whole world were filled with the Imperial Advisor's soothing and soul-purifying chanting.

The Imperial Advisor didn't have strong Qi and blood like Grandmasters. Neither did he have unpredictable and mysterious Spirit Qi cultivation…

Standing on the wooden boat, his thin figured looked vulnerable, as if he would be blown away by the wind at any moment.

He was just a regular person.

Yet Nie Changqing's across-air knife-control technique couldn't even strike in front of him.

The Righteousness Qi in the atmosphere was as powerful as a howling wind.

Nie Changqing's face turned red from the pressure. The Imperial Advisor's chanting wasn't loud, but it pounded in Nie Changqing's ears like the deafening ringing of bells.

Nie Changqing's consciousness instantly lost control of the butcher knife.

The knife fell into the lake.

On the wooden boat…

The Imperial Advisor still had an amiable look on his face as he chanted with incredible fluency, his hands clasped behind his back.

Clouds of terrifying mist thickened, and the invisible Qi gained its form because of the Righteousness Qi.

It was currently pressing down on Nie Changqing, who fell into the lake under the pressure.

He felt as if he were under the Young Master's Spirit Pressure.

Nie Changqing, who was now swimming in the lake, was totally soaked, and he gazed at the old man from afar in awe.

Lu Changkong and Luo Yue were in tremendous shock.

"This is the Philosophy-level power of the Philosopher of Confucianism."

Effortless and non-aggressive, the move easily defeated a Sixth Resonance Grandmaster.

In the distance…

Someone's dress, which was as white as snow, was dancing in the wind.

It was Ning Zhao. She was coming toward them on a lone narrow boat. She was graceful and gentle, her delicate hands at her waist.

"The Young Master said he was expecting a distinguished guest and sent me to welcome him. Welcome to the island, Imperial Advisor," she said.

On the wooden boat…

The Righteousness Qi suddenly evaporated, and the blue sky reappeared, as if there'd just been a massive storm.

The Imperial Advisor burst out laughing as he stroked his beard.

"Changqing, follow Ping'an and continue learning from him. That old fart from Daoist is a lot less reasonable than I am," the Imperial Advisor said.

The wooden boat then moved forward, splitting the water.

The lone boat carrying Ning Zhao stopped next to Nie Changqing, and Ning Zhao pulled him onto the boat. They then headed toward Beiluo Lake Island.

The thick mist faded away.

The wooden boat docked.

The Imperial Advisor got on the island with Lu Changkong's help, and they stepped on the polished black stone paved road.

Lu Changkong and Luo Yue then glanced across the island.

Half of the peach blossoms that used to cover the island were gone, and had been replaced by ten enormous chrysanthemums. The building of Drunk Dust City remained, but it looked completely different. The style was now gracefully restrained and low-profile, with a hint of modest luxury.

The Imperial Advisor thoughtfully focused his deep eyes on the ten Heaven Facing Spiritual Chrysanthemums, a profound smile on his face.

In front of the building…

Lu Fan was sitting in the wheelchair, and was smiling at the Imperial Advisor. He was wearing a white gown and had a thin blanket across his legs.

The second floor of the building had a wooden patio.

Yi Yue was kneeling on the ground. Her head was bent over, which made her long hair fell forward, exposing her pretty neck. There was a look of concentration on her pretty face as she heated up a pot of wine and put green plums in it.

Ni Yu and Nie Shuang, who were leaning over the patio railing, curiously looked down below.

Lu Fan and the Imperial Advisor saw each other at the same time, and they met each other's gaze.

Lu Fan was sitting in a wheelchair, and his white gown was dancing in the breeze. His features stood out on his face as if they were painted.

The corners of his mouth curled upward.

"Lu Ping'an, your student, now apologizes to the Imperial Advisor for Changqing's rude behavior," Lu Fan said with his hands clasped together.

The Imperial Advisor laughed, and his eyes flashed.

Boom!

Following the Imperial Advisor's laughter…

The mist on the lake gathered and came toward them, as if forming a vast mountain that would fall on their heads at any moment.

Confucianist Righteousness Qi.

The Imperial Advisor had an amiable look on his face as he studied Lu Fan. He chanted slowly:

"Gentlemen with such clear jade on their ears, gentlemen with such gems on their crowns like stars.

"Such gentlemen shall not be forgotten…"

When he finished chanting…

The Righteousness Qi that filled the sky suddenly came down upon Lu Fan.

Faced with the horrifying pressure, Nie Changqing and Ning Zhao felt breathless.

Outside White Jade City…

Lu Fan had a faint smile on his face. He was enjoying the Righteousness Qi, as if it were merely a soft breeze.

He reached his hand out and picked up a black chess piece with his index finger and middle finger.

Faced with the Righteousness Qi filling the sky and the void in front of his eyes, he suddenly placed the chess piece down.

The black chess piece floated in the air after Lu Fan placed it down.

Waves of light blue Spirit Qi surrounded Lu Fan's body.

The invisible Spirit Pressure was released.

Next to the Imperial Advisor, Lu Changkong and Luo Yue's faces were red under the tremendous Spirit Pressure. They couldn't help but keep retreating.

They were shocked and terrified.

They didn't even dare to get close to the circle formed by the Imperial Advisor and Lu Fan's power.

Lu Changkong, Nie Changqing, and the others were all so overwhelmed that they could only stare in awe.

This pretty much was a…

Philosopher level confrontation.

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Chapter 53: The Society, Imperial Court, or The World—None of My Business

Along the side of Beiluo Lake, there was a road paved with black stone bricks.

A donkey cart wobbled as it moved along the road. The carriage was old and shabby and was made of dry, rotten wood. In the cart, a young man wearing a dark blue gown sat cross-legged. He held a stick that had a carrot attached to it by a string, and dangled it in front of the donkey's face.

The donkey huffed out warm air through its nostrils as it tried to reach the carrot.

The young man sat leisurely, enjoying the lake and the beautiful scenery around it.

"Such a nice place. Perfect to spend my old age in."

"I heard that the girls at Drunk Dust City are exceptional, with great talent and skills. But I don't know if that's true."

The young man used one hand to prop up his chin, while one of his legs started shaking restlessly.

He had a dreamy look on his face.

"It's a shame… when Drunk Dust City was taken over by the irrational Young Master Lu, Great Zhou lost another paradise on earth."

The young man shook his head sorrowfully.

He then adjusted the carrot's position to make the donkey head in a different direction.

"To be honest, I didn't at all want to come to Beiluo City. This place… something's not right about it," the young man said to himself.

He looked a little frustrated.

"But it's so rare for the Imperial Advisor to leave the capital city. It's an opportunity of a lifetime…"

"But why am I always the one picked for this kind of mission? Deadpan face is obviously a better choice… He's the No. 1 assassin in the world, while I'm only a donkey cart driver." The young man seemed to have a lot to complain about over this mission.

But since he was already here, he chose to carry out his assignment.

He gave the donkey a good kick on the butt, and the donkey immediately sped up.

The shabby donkey cart continued to lurch forward along the paved road beside Beiluo Lake. It looked as if it would break into pieces at any moment.

The donkey's heavy breathing was very loud.

…

Lv Mudui almost flew out of the city.

The carriage sped through the plains outside Beiluo City.

In the cart, Lv Mudui, who was wearing a white gown, touched the copper coins hanging around his neck, his eyes deep and contemplative.

"What Young Master Lu said… is it true? 'Heaven Qi Plaques and Earth Qi Plaques' can really open the relic of Immortal encounter? The mentor sent me to Beiluo City. Did he know there's Immortal encounter here?"

Lv Mudui leaned against the inside of the cart. He looked frail, yet his eyes were unusually bright.

"If there really is Immortal encounter, why does Young Master Lu trust me? Isn't he afraid I'll gather Hundred Schools of Philosophy and take this Immortal encounter Secret Realm?"

Lv Mudui squinted his eyes. But after thinking about it, he let out a sigh.

He didn't have what it took to gather Hundred Schools of Philosophy and team up with them.

Even though he had the information Lu Fan gave him, he still didn't have enough to make a deal with Hundred Schools of Philosophy.

With Heaven Qi Plaques and Earth Qi Plaques popping up, people would notice sooner or later. Not to mention that Young Master Lu might not be the only one enlightened by the Immortal.

Lv Mudui had nothing to bargain with. His best option was to work with Lu Fan and possibly get his share in the end. Otherwise… he might completely miss his chance.

Besides, he had seen the Confucianism Philosopher before he left. Maybe Young Master Lu planned to work with Confucianism. If that was the case, and Lu Fan had such a powerful ally, it would be stupid for Lv Mudui to go and team up with others of Hundred Schools of Philosophy.

The cart was very quiet. Only the sound of the wooden wheels quickly rolling on the road could be heard.

After a long while, Lv Mudui lightly tapped the inside wall of the cart and said to the coachman, "Let's not go back to 'Caved Dragon Temple' just yet. Let's go to Hidden Dragon Ridge first."

"Okay."

Outside the cart, the coachman smiled, raised his arm, and whipped the horses.

The carriage immediately sped up.

…

On Beiluo Lake Island…

The atmosphere was a little intense.

The Imperial Advisor summoned Righteousness Qi with one laugh, and Lu Fan released Spirit Pressure by placing a chess piece down.

The collision between the two was a Philosopher-level confrontation.

The Imperial Advisor was originally the Philosopher of Confucianism. He once visited all Hundred Schools of Philosophy and kept them in line. No one dared to act up with him around.

His Righteousness Qi could suppress even the greatest Grandmasters from the martial arts world.

Even though he had never practiced martial arts, the power of his pressure was incredibly strong.

However, Lu Fan, who was faced with the Imperial Advisor's Righteousness Qi,was relaxed, which was what shocked the others on the island the most.

Lu Changkong looked at Lu Fan, a complicated expression on his face. There was a hint of pride in his eyes.

He hadn't expected Lu Fan to have grown so fast. Now Lu Fan even had the power to contend with the Confucianism Philosopher.

Feeling the flowing Spirit Qi in his body, Lu Changkong took a deep breath.

Nie Changqing and Ning Zhao both had excited looks on their faces.

They had never been sure about Lu Fan's level.

But now…

They finally knew how powerful their Young Master really was.

Philosopher level…

Being able to contend with the Confucianism Philosopher, Lu Fan's power was at top level, even among the Philosophers.

Lu Fan once said that he would make "White Jade City" a power above Hundred Schools of Philosophy. Now it seemed that hadn't just been empty talk.

The wind disappeared.

And the sense of pressure in the air also vanished.

The Righteousness Qi faded away, along with Lu Fan's Spirit Pressure.

"Hahaha, what a promising young man," the Imperial Advisor laughed. "Changkong, this son of yours is really something."

Lu Changkong was standing to the side. He smiled at the Imperial Advisor's comment, and the cheerful look in his eyes was unmistakable.

"Imperial Advisor, please, this way," Lu Fan said.

"Ping'an heard that the Imperial Advisor has good taste in drink. I had them boil plum wine for you," Lu Fan continued.

The Imperial Advisor flicked his sleeves and strode forward.

"White Jade City…"

The Imperial Advisor's eyes landed on the horizontal inscribed board above the door of the building. He lowered his voice and thoughtfully read the name of the building. "Such a good name," he said with a smile.

The Imperial Advisor sighed to himself. The Immortal encounter Lu Fan had gotten was apparently far more than what Yuwen Xiu had obtained.

If it could be said that Yuwen Xiu was a toddler Blessed compared to Lu Fan…

The gap between those two… was wide.

The Imperial Advisor walked up the black brick stairs.

Lu Changkong and Luo Yue followed him.

Suddenly…

The Imperial Advisor staggered and paused. His eyes focused on the two vertical inscribed boards.

Everyone who tried to enter White Jade City would be attracted by the couplets on the two vertical inscribed boards, so Lu Fan wasn't surprised by this.

Gazing at the couplets, the Imperial Advisor's smile gave way to a solemn look.

He studied them for a long time, almost as long as it takes to burn half a scent.

Eventually, the Imperial Advisor came back to his senses, his cloudy eyes flashing briefly with astonishment.

"These couplets… Did Ping'an write them?" the Imperial Advisor asked calmly.

He withdrew his gaze from the couplets.

Unlike Nie Changqing and Lv Mudui, the Imperial Advisor was relaxed and calm when he saw the couplets.

"No. My mentor did," Lu Fan said. The wheelchair turned around on its own, taking Lu Fan into the building of White Jade City.

He figured that the Imperial Advisor probably had picked up on something from interpreting the words of the couplets. But since the Imperial Advisor didn't let let on, Lu Fan chose not to ask.

The Imperial Advisor froze for a brief moment when he heard Lu Fan's answer, but he quickly regained his calm.

Luo Yue and Lu Changkong, on the other hand, didn't react to the couplets so well.

Lu Changkong's reaction wasn't too bad. After all, he had Spirit Qi in him. After backing up a couple of steps, he regained his balance.

Luo Yue wasn't so lucky, as he was only a First Tier martial arts practitioner. He read the couplets to himself in a low voice and was suddenly thrown back in the air, landing on one knee. He even coughed blood.

There was a look of fear and disbelief on his face.

Lu Changkong didn't enter White Jade City.

He knew that the Imperial Advisor had something to discuss with Lu Fan, so he turned around and took a stroll around the island.

He was quite interested in the ten chrysanthemum blooms facing the sun.

The Confucianism Philosopher reached the second floor of the building.

On the patio, Yi Yue had just finished boiling the wine. She stood up.

Ni Yu and Nie Shuang stared at Lu Fan and the Confucianism Philosopher with wide eyes.

The chessboard was set up. Two boxes of chess pieces, one with white pieces and the other with black ones, were placed across the chessboard.

Sitting in a chair, the Imperial Advisor sat on the chair and stroked his beard as he studied the chessboard.

Lu Fan remained in his wheelchair. The two were now sitting face-to-face on either side of the chessboard.

Yi Yue poured some wine for the Imperial Advisor and Lu Fan. The boiled wine, hot with steam, had a hint of tartness from the green plums

"Philosopher, how about we play a game?" Lu Fan asked with a smile.

The Philosopher stroked his beard, squinted his eyes, and took a sip of the wine. He looked pleased.

Tasting wine and playing a game of chess…

The Philosopher could get used to a life like this.

As they played their game and placed chess pieces on the chessboard, the sound of the pieces landing on the board continued for some time.

The two of them chatted as they played chess and drank wine.

Light smoke from the lit sandalwood scent curled upward, filling the room with a soothing aroma.

The game ended.

The chessboard was filled with black and white chess pieces. Lu Fan picked up the black pieces and tossed them back in the box, a hint of disappointment on his face.

"The Philosopher's chess skills are superb. As your student, I concede defeat," Lu Fan said.

He gave a bitter smile.

Although he had gotten Heavenly Go Manual, the time he could put into practicing was still too limited for him to stand a chance against the Confucianism Philosopher, a national-champion level player.

Standing to the side, Ni Yu's eyes bulged in surprise.

This couldn't be right!

Since when did the Young Master… become so skilled at playing chess?

The Imperial Advisor held his cup as he coughed slightly. He appeared so frail, like a candle guttering in the wind.

"There are only two or three people in the world who can even stand a chance playing chess with me. Ping'an, today I have to say that you really impressed me. It won't be long before your chess skills become stronger. Then, the situation will be reversed, and I probably won't be able to beat you anymore," the Imperial Advisor said.

Lu Fan smiled.

The wine in the Imperial Advisor's cup became cold. Yi Yue was about to refill it with hot wine, but the Imperial Advisor declined, waving his hand.

He put down his cup and withdrew his hands inside his wide sleeves. He gazed at Lu Fan with his deep, yet cloudy eyes. "Ping'an, I have a couple of questions for you. If I don't ask now, I'm afraid I won't have the chance to ask you again…" he said.

His voice carried a hint of sadness. His hair was completely white, and the liver spots on his face were even more conspicuous.

Lu Fan's eyebrow twitched. He lowered his hands to straighten the thin woolen blanket covering his legs.

"What questions do you have for me, Imperial Advisor?" Lu Fan asked.

The Imperial Advisor smiled, then cast a profound glance at the island through the window.

Suddenly, he could almost see the three extraordinary Qi flows flying around the island.

"You built your own power base, took out aristocratic families, and killed people from Hundred Schools of Philosophy… What's your reason for all this? Now the Great Zhou is on the verge of destruction, like a boat in a terrible storm. All sorts of strong forces have shown themselves, from both the martial arts world and the Imperial Court."

The Imperial Advisor hunched forward in his chair and coughed. "Ping'an, what do you think about the world?"

The question was straightforward. The Imperial Advisor didn't attempt to hide his intentions.

What he wanted to know about was Lu Fan's ambition. The ambition of a mature Blessed.

Nie Changqing, Ning Zhao, and Yi Yue, among others, all held their breath.

Lu Fan slowly looked up at the Imperial Advisor.

They silently gazed into each other's eyes.

The sandalwood scent continued to release light smoke, which swirled up into the air.

Lu Fan's voice was soft and graceful, and it echoed throughout the building's patio.

"I built the power base to spend the rest of my life on. I took out the aristocratic families and killed the disciples from Hundred Schools of Philosophy because they provoked me."

"If no one provokes me…"

"Whatever happens in society, the Imperial Court, or the world, has nothing to do with me."

"After all, I, Lu Ping'an, am very good-tempered."

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Chapter 54: Refined Qi Level 100. Not So Difficult.

Lu Fan's smooth voice echoed throughout the patio.

The Imperial Advisor narrowed his eyes and gazed into Lu Fan's.

A long moment later, an amiable smile appeared on the Imperial Advisor's wrinkled face.

"Good. Very good," he said.

Then, he started coughing excessively, and his face turned red.

He flicked his wide sleeve and beat his chest until the coughing ceased. He then looked over at the small island, a relaxed expression on his face as he enjoyed the breeze.

"This is such a nice place… After I put down the rebellions, I'll move here for my retirement. I won't ask for too much. All I need is a hut by the lake."

"When it's windy or rainy outside, I'll simply hide in my hut and boil some wine for tasting."

"When it's nice and sunny outside, I'll go fishing in a small boat on the lake…"

The Imperial Advisor was smiling, and his cloudy eyes were full of anticipation and hope.

"When the time comes, I'll keep you company and play chess with you. Life will be so nice," Lu Fan said with a smile.

The Imperial Advisor laughed, overflowing with happiness.

"I just hope that you, Ping'an, can keep your promise. With great power comes great ambition. It's strange, though. I can't detect much ambition in you…"

The Imperial Advisor studied Lu Fan with a gentle expression on his face.

Sitting in the wheelchair, Lu Fan gently stroked the thin woolen blanket. He didn't say anything.

It wasn't that he didn't have ambition. The thing was…

What the Imperial Advisor mentioned, the society, the Imperial Court, and even the world of the empire… were simply not within the scope of his ambition.

Great Zhou was only part of Wuhuang Continent.

Lu Fan's heart was set on transforming the whole Wuhuang Continent. In fact… he wanted to do far more than that.

So, the Imperial Advisor wasn't wrong in saying that Lu Fan didn't have much ambition.

"Actually, philosopher, you can take a rest any time you want," Lu Fan said as he gazed at the Imperial Advisor.

"The empire, long divided, must unite; long united, must divide. Even if you watch over the present, it doesn't mean you can guarantee the future," Lu Fan continued.

The Imperial Advisor stood up and walked over to the patio railing. He looked out over the calm surface of the lake with his hands clasped behind his back. His hands were inside his wide sleeves, while his loose, white hair hung over his shoulders.

"The late emperor asked me to help the young emperor before he passed away. How can I run from my promise and leave the emperor to the traitorous monsters coming at him from all directions? I don't expect to guarantee the future. All I want is to guard the empire at present so that the emperor can see hope in despair," the Imperial Advisor said slowly.

His voice was deep, and carried a trace of exhaustion.

He turned around and asked, "Ping'an, are you willing to assist the emperor?" He gazed at Lu Fan with a slightly hopeful expression on his age-spotted face.

Sitting in his wheelchair, Lu Fan took out a black piece from the box. He gently placed it on the chessboard and pressed it down with his index finger, caressing it.

"I do not." Lu Fan firmly declined the offer, leaving no room for negotiation.

The Imperial Advisor didn't look too disappointed. Lu Fan's answer was expected.

"I've talked for too long. It's about time for me to visit Lu Manor and pull out the green onion…"

The Imperial Advisor took a couple of steps and was about to walk downstairs.

Lu Fan was a little surprised. "Green onion… Mo Tianyu hasn't been pulled out yet?"

Lu Fan was truly surprised. He thought the Imperial Advisor had already saved Mo Tianyu before coming over to see him.

Was Mo Tianyu… really his disciple?

"That punk is too arrogant. It's good to teach him a lesson." The Imperial Advisor waved his hand.

Suddenly, he paused at the top of the wooden stairs and looked at Lu Fan. Soon, however, he recovered his serious demeanor.

As he flicked his wide sleeves and crossed his hands in front of his chest, overwhelming Righteousness Qi emerged from his body.

"Confucianism. Kong Xiu."

Lu Fan's eyes flashed, and his wheelchair turned around on its own to face the Imperial Advisor. He, too, crossed his hands in front of his body.

"Beiluo. Lu Fan."

They then clasped their hands and bowed to each other.

The Imperial Advisor formally gave his name, which was his way of acknowledging Lu Fan's Philosopher-level strength.

The next moment, the Imperial Advisor burst out laughing. He then turned around and continued walking down the wooden steps.

"Sister Ning," Lu Fan said.

"Yes," Ning Zhao said, acknowledging his order.

She pushed Lu Fan's wheelchair, and together they followed the Imperial Advisor's footsteps.

Ni Yu carried the chessboard on her back.

Nie Changqing picked up the butcher knife. Nie Shuang wanted to go with him, but Nie Changqing glared at him.

"Go run around the island 20 times within half a zodiac hour," he told him. "If you can't finish, your punishment will be to do a half squat for two zodiac hours."

Nie Shuang's little face went pale.

Nie Changqing… You've changed!

Ni Yu sympathetically patted Nie Shuang's shoulder and hurried to follow Lu Fan.

At the lakeside, a pleasant breeze was blowing.

Sitting under a giant chrysanthemum, Lu Changkong focused his spirit and consciousness. The Spirit Qi inside his body was quickly surging within him.

He could feel that the big chrysanthemum was breathing a wisp of Spirit Qi in and out.

He further focused his consciousness, trying to pull the Spirit Qi right out of the chrysanthemum. He called this method "Qi-snatching from the Chrysanthemum's mouth."

Suddenly…

Lu Changkong opened his eyes.

His Qi and blood made a series of Internal Blasting Resonances, and he performed the entire Dispersed Earth Sutra. His entire body was covered by mysterious hot air.

He locked onto the wisp of Spirit Qi from the giant Chrysanthemum and tried pulling it into his Qi Core.

It was as if he were playing tug-of-war with the Chrysanthemum, and his face flushed red from the exertion.

Yet the Spirit Qi the big Chrysanthemum breathed was extremely heavy, as if it weighed over ten thousand pounds. No matter how hard Lu Changkong tried to pull it, it wouldn't move an inch.

Lu Fan, who had just exited the building, sensed Lu Changkong's predicament and was slightly surprised.

He hadn't expected his old man to have such a talent for cultivation.

Unfortunately, Dispersed Earth Sutra couldn't breathe Spirit Qi until it was deducted through [All Method Furnace].

Ning Zhao was still pushing the wheelchair.

Sitting in the wheelchair, Lu Fan slowly chanted Ksitigarbha Sutra, the improved deducted version of Dispersed Earth Sutra.

His consciousness was highly focused.

Through his powerful Soul Strength, Lu Fan sent Lu Changkong a message through the air.

Every single word traveled for several miles and then arrived at Lu Changkong's ears.

Lu Changkong trembled.

He turned and stared in disbelief in the direction of the White Jade City building.

Astonished by what Lu Fan was capable of, Lu Changkong also focused his consciousness and tried to move the Spirit Qi using the method described in Ksitigarbha Sutra.

He started performing the method.

In his Qi Core, an incredibly strong suction power emerged.

The wisp of Spirit Qi breathed out by the big chrysanthemum was pulled out, and it entered Lu Changkong's body. As it traveled to his Qi Core, it went through his arms and legs and purified every part of his body.

Lu Changkong looked pleased as he crouched on the ground.

His clothes were fluttering, even though there was no wind, but soon settled back against his body.

Lu Changkong successfully entered Second Stage Qi Core Realm.

[Detected: Lu Changkong (Identity: City Master of Beiluo City) successfully entered Second Stage Qi Core Realm. Available Take As Commission: 1 wisp of Spirit Qi. Do you confirm the Take As Commission?]

A system message suddenly popped up, and one corner of Lu Fan's mouth quirked upward.

[All Method Furnace] was created through [Dao Impartment Platform]. Ksitigarbha Sutra came from the deduction using [All Method Furnace, which was related to [Dao Impartment Platform].

Lu Fan had access to Take As Commission from the Spirit Qi refined by any cultivator, as long as their practice was relevant to [Dao Impartment Platform].

So, Lu Changkong entering Second Stage Qi Core Realm meant that Lu Fan could earn a wisp of Spirit Qi through Take as Commission.

He confirmed the Take as Commission without hesitation.

Lu Fan's Spirit Qi stats had now increased to 102 wisps.

Suddenly, Lu Fan narrowed his eyes slightly. It occurred to him that the Secret Realm, Hidden Dragon Ridge, was also created through [Dao Impartment Platform]. So if a cultivator obtained Spirit Qi in the Secret Realm, he should be able to earn a corresponding Take as Commission.

Lu Fan's heart fluttered with excitement.

Maybe reaching Refined Qi Level 100… wouldn't be that difficult.

After entering Second Stage Qi Core Realm, Lu Changkong felt like a new person. His essence, Qi, and spirit were all refreshed.

Slightly surprised, the Imperial Advisor gave Lu Changkong a meaningful look.

But he didn't say anything.

Instead, he smiled at him and said, "I find these chrysanthemums intriguing. Is it possible Ping'an would give me one of that which he treasures?"

In the wheelchair, Lu Fan looked down at his lap as he slightly rubbed his long, thin fingers against each other.

"No," he said flatly.

Lu Fan's refusal was very firm, so the Imperial Advisor didn't insist. He simply cast an envious look at the Heaven Facing Spiritual Chrysanthemums.

Coming to the island was a bit difficult, but leaving was a breeze.

The group boarded the wooden luxury boat.

As the boat moved across the lake, they all enjoyed the surrounding scenery. Before they knew it, the boat had docked on the bank of Beiluo Lake.

Lu Changkong helped the Imperial Advisor get off the boat, while Ning Zhao and Nie Changqing carried the wheelchair and put it on the black brick paved road.

From a distance…

A clip-clop sound came…

Followed by the loud sound of a donkey braying.

"Hee-haw~ Hee-haw~."

On the black brick paved road along the lake…

A shabby donkey cart came toward them. No one seemed to pay much attention to it, though, because they assumed it was just some civilian cart from Beiluo City.

The donkey cart moved slowly, and as it passed the group, an honest-looking young man wearing a dark blue gown flashed them a simple, silly smile.

Suddenly…

The thin rope on the stick broke, and the carrot dangling from it fell off and rolled away.

The donkey breathed heavily, hot air blowing out from its nostrils.

It reared and stood on its hind legs, and the whole cart almost fell on its side.

The honest-looking young man fell to the ground, looking shocked and terrified, and he started crying sadly.

Surprised, everyone looked his way, assuming it was an accident.

The young man rolled over a couple of times. Then, he suddenly bounced up from the ground like a spring and, like a fleeting shadow, rushed right at the frail Imperial Advisor.

From the sleeve of his dark blue gown, a silver pair of scissors slid out. They coldly glistened under the blinding light of the sun.

Invisible scissors cut your soul; you see the blood but not where I go!

The honest look on the young man's face vanished.

In its place was the confident, cold expression of the second-best assassin in the world.

Assassin's Creed: catch the target unawares and kill it with one strike.

The atmosphere instantly changed, becoming dark and menacing.

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Chapter 55: Mo Liuqi the Assassin

The instant the glistening silver blades appeared, Lu Changkong, who had just entered Second Stage Qi Core Realm, reacted at once. His satin clothes billowed around him as he shouted, "Assassin!"

Nie Changqing's butcher knife had already left his hand and was spinning fast through the air.

Ning Zhao's white gown danced in the wind. She lightly jumped up and landed in front of Lu Fan. Even Ni Yu, who was exhausted from vomiting, looked fierce as she carried the chessboard.

Things were suddenly uncertain, and the air smelled of war.

"Piss off!" Lu Changkong growled.

With Spirit Qi, his voice was as loud as a giant bell.

He wanted to intimidate and stop the assassin who had just sprung to his feet.

…

Mo Liuqi was a professional assassin.

Yet, he didn't like assassinating.

He hated the smell of blood. But because he was trapped in the martial arts world, he had no other choice.

Besides, Mohist didn't train him to become the No. 2 assassin in the world to sit around and do nothing.

Not to mention that a certain lady had assigned him this mission, and he couldn't say no to her.

His mentor, who had taught him assassin skills, once said that assassins should be emotionless.

Emotions would only stand in his way and make him weak.

But Mo Liuqi was unable to suppress his emotions, which was why he was the No. 2 assassin in the world and would never become No. 1.

He wasn't a cold-hearted assassin. He felt things perhaps even more deeply than most ordinary people. He was secretly in love with a woman, but he suppressed his feelings. His love was like a volcano, dormant for many years only to one day erupt.

He didn't want to take the mission.

Assassinating the Imperial Advisor of Great Zhou, the Philosopher of Confucianism, who had Philosopher-level strength… that was intimidating.

Deadpan face, the No. 1 assassin in the world, didn't even dare to accept the mission, so why did he, the No. 2 assassin, take it?

Because when that lady came to him, he couldn't say "no."

He had prepared himself to decline the request, but in the end, all he could say was "sure" in a soft voice.

So, he came.

He didn't expect to return to Beliuo City. He didn't like it and found it strange.

But even though he didn't like this city, it might become his burial place.

Nothing in his whole life, including his own death, was up to him.

While in the donkey cart, he thought long and hard.

He bought a cheap pearl hairpin at one of the roadside stands and carved the lady's name on it with his scissors.

He was determined to give her this hairpin with his own two hands, provided he could make it out of the city alive.

…

Nie Changqing held onto the butcher knife. His Six-Resonance-Grandmaster Qi and blood started blasting.

His eyes blazed like fire.

His butcher knife took off as invisible knife Qi surrounded him. Spirit Qi rushed out of his Qi Core and whirled around his body.

Lu Changkong's hair danced in the wind. At the level of Second Stage Qi Core Realm, he was as strong as a Fifth or Sixth Resonance Grandmaster martial arts practitioner.

The two of them stood directly in front of the assassin.

The second the pair of silver scissors appeared, it suddenly occurred to them who the assassin was.

The No. 2 assassin in the world, Mo Liuqi the Silver Scissors.

Invisible scissors cut your soul; you see the blood but not where I go!

That was his title and how the world saw him. His assassination skills were second only to the No. 1 assassin in the world, Mo Yihen.

Mo Liuqi was fast.

Pretending to be a civilian cart driver, he faked an accident and fell onto the ground. But then he leapt up, attacking in the blink of an eye.

It was a premeditated assassination.

No Internal Blasting Resonance of Grandmaster martial arts practitioners could be heard.

Assassins needed to be silent.

Mo Liuqi's expression was cold as his eyes locked on the white-haired Imperial Advisor.

He was just too quick.

Before they knew it, he was right next to Lu Changkong and Nie Changqing.

Bing! Bing!

Two short crisp sounds echoed out.

The silver pair of scissors lightly grazed Nie Changqing's butcher knife, making it pause momentarily.

By the time Lu Changkong and Nie Changqing came to their senses…

Mo Liuqi had already moved past them like a shadow.

This assassin's acrobatic skills were elusive and haunting.

Luo Yue shook himself out of his initial shock and shouted, his eyes bulging with fury. Standing with his knife in hand, he maximized his strength as a First Tier martial arts practitioner, prepared to pull his knife out.

However…

Mo Liuqi's hair danced as he moved, his face calm and expressionless.

He spun sideways, his foot lightly touching Luo Yue's knife-pulling hand. The half-way pulled knife was instantly pushed back.

Mo Liuqi didn't kill anyone irrelevant.

Unlike the blood-thirsty deadpan face, he would kill only his targets and spare everyone else.

Luo Yue staggered back a couple of steps, his face ashen.

Staring at Mo Liuqi, who moved past him like a fish through water, he was terrified.

If Mo Liuqi wanted to kill him, all he had to do was slit his throat with his silver pair of scissors as he passed by, and Luo Yue would have been dead.

The white-haired Imperial Advisor's eyes were cloudy.

In the face of Mo Liuqi's lightning-like assassination, he remained incredibly calm.

He had expected something like this to happen.

It was so rare for him to leave the capital city, so it was unlikely Mohist would let such a good opportunity go to waste.

"Ping'an, watch out," the Imperial Advisor said, a stern expression on his weathered, wrinkled face.

He was afraid that Lu Fan would get involved and get hurt.

Mohist had the best assassins.

Their reputation wasn't unfounded.

Boom!

The Imperial Advisor's gown billowed slightly, and Righteousness Qi started gathering above his head.

His chanting was so powerful that the terrifying Righteousness Qi started to turn into enormous power pressure, which attempted to press down the assassin.

Sitting in the wheelchair, Lu Fan propped his chin on one hand while gently touching the thin woolen blanket with the other. There was a tranquil look on his face.

A Philosopher-level man who was so powerful… how could anyone easily assassinate him?

Yes, the Imperial Advisor was frail and had weak Qi and blood.

But…

The Imperial Advisor's one shout of Righteousness Qi could easily defeat an army of thousands.

Wait, what?

Suddenly.

Lu Fan raised his eyebrows, slightly surprised.

…

Mo Liuqi's face was as calm as the surface of a lake.

This mission was as hard as hell, just as he expected it would be…

Confucianism Righteousness Qi.

So powerful! So scary!

Under such tremendous pressure, Mo Liuqi couldn't even swing his scissors at the Imperial Advisor. Instead, he was nearly forced to his knees.

Philosopher level!

Mo Liuqi took a deep breath.

A moment later, his eyes glinted with determination.

As his body landed on the ground, he raised his scissors high.

Then, he stabbed them into his thigh, leaving a bloody gash. The stabbing pain temporarily numbed the fear racing through his mind.

Having rid himself of the pressure from Righteousness Qi, he ground his teeth and became a shadow again. The wind made his dark blue gown stick to his body.

He approached the Imperial Advisor.

Five steps, four steps, three steps…

He could even clearly see the young man with rosy lips and smooth white teeth sitting in a wheelchair next to the Imperial Advisor. He noticed that the young man had a half-smile on his face.

But Mo Liuqi didn't care about that. In his eyes, only the target of the mission mattered.

The Imperial Advisor's gown danced in the wind as he pushed forward with his hands.

Bang!

Mo Liuqi's face dramatically changed. As if he had run into an invisible wall, his pupils contracted, and blood spurted out of his nose and mouth.

Mo Liuqi growled.

He threw the pair of silver of scissors.

The scissors still had blood on them, and beads of blood scattered through the air.

The pair of scissors, spinning super fast with incredible power, flew right at the Imperial Advisor's face.

But the Imperial Advisor slightly tilted his head, and the scissors flew past his cheek. It was extremely close…

Watching what was taking place, Lu Fan slightly frowned.

He picked up a black chess piece from the box.

As Mo Liugi watched the scissors fly close to the Imperial Advisor, Mo Liuqi, who had blood all over his face, grinned slightly.

He didn't look disappointed. Instead, he looked relieved and relaxed.

"Ah Zhu, I didn't fail you," Mo Liuqi murmured.

The next moment.

He hooked his fingers into claws and wore a fierce expression on his face.

The pair of scissors, which just flew by the Imperial Advisor, paused in the air. Then, it started spinning again. With an air-shattering sound, it dashed right at the back of the Imperial Advisor's head.

The silver pair of scissors got closer and closer to the back of the Imperial Advisor's head.

Two inches, one inch, half an inch…

The Imperial Advisor froze in place, as if Death were breathing down his neck.

Suddenly…

Mo Liuqi's face froze.

Ding!

A light, clear sound rang out.

The silver pair of scissors flying backward were… stopped.

Mo Liuqi then noticed that a floating black chess piece blocked his silver pair of scissors half an inch away from the back of the Imperial Advisor's head.

That half an inch was as good as thousands of miles.

Mo Liuqi glared. He looked at the young man with rosy lips and white teeth sitting in his wheelchair next to the Imperial Advisor.

Unexpectedly, he saw that the young man was looking at him curiously. He was apparently somewhat surprised.

"Interesting. You figured out a way to control the scissors using your consciousness? This one's got potential. Talented," the young man said.

The young man gave him an approving smile.

After Lu Fan said this, Mo Liuqi saw that there were flows of Qi whirling around the young man's wheelchair. The young man then raised his hand and, from a distance, slightly pushed at Mo Liuqi with one hand.

Boom!

Mo Liuqi felt as if his eyeballs were about to pop out, and he almost puked.

The ground cracked as he leaned over, face-down, and he saw that the cracks were expanding.

Down on all fours, he wasn't able to move!

The pressure was incredibly powerful, as if numerous mountains were on top of him. It was more aggressive and oppressive than the Imperial Advisor's Righteousness Qi.

Invisible power pressure was incredibly fatal.

"Ah Zhu, I failed. My opponent's a monster…" Mo Liuqi felt incredibly sad.

He only had time to think this one thought before passing out.

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Chapter 56: He's a Miracle of Life

About 30 miles away from Beiluo City…

Hidden Dragon Ridge.

When viewed from the front, the long and narrow Hidden Dragon Ridge looked like a gigantic dragon lying across the plains, and it exuded a sense of pressure.

A carriage was traveling at full speed along the bumpy road.

It drove straight forward and soon arrived at the foot of Hidden Dragon Ridge.

Without an official road, however, it wasn't easy to travel around Hidden Dragon Ridge, and the carriage had quite a rough ride.

Soon, the carriage parked. The coachman was sweating profusely.

Lv Mudui stepped off the carriage, holding his green bamboo staff. He told the coachman to wait for him.

While rubbing the three copper coins around his neck, Lv Mudui studied Hidden Dragon Ridge, which really did look like an enormous dragon. As if a pair of intimidating eyes were staring at him, he felt incredible pressure as he gazed at Hidden Dragon Ridge. Even his fingers grasping the coins were slightly trembling.

"Is there really an Immortal encounter in Hidden Dragon Ridge?"

Lv Mudui took a deep breath. Wearing a white gown and a pair of straw shoes, his bamboo staff in hand, he marched toward the ridge faster than a horse.

He walked for quite some time along the rugged path in the hill, and the sense of pressure grew even stronger.

From a distance…

A very tanned local man carrying a bamboo basket on his back jumped out of the woods with a panicked expression on his face.

This caught Lv Mudui's attention, and he walked up to the local man.

"Run! Hurry! There's a monster coming out of the mountain!" the man shouted. "That monster eats people!"

The local man was an honest, simple fellow. He patiently described the strange things going on deep in the mountain.

Lv Mudui's eyebrows furrowed tightly, and he grew more and more serious.

Seeing that despite everything he said, Lv Mudui still wanted to go into the mountain, the local man turned around and left in terror.

He soon disappeared from Lv Mudui's line of sight.

Lv Mudui took a deep breath. He continued to walk further into the mountain while slightly tapping his bamboo staff against the ground.

Inside the deep, serene Hidden Dragon Ridge, strange howling and growling sounds startled the birds, and they all took off in fear.

Finally, Lv Mudui arrived at the spot where, according to the local man, there was something incredibly weird and horrifying.

The trees were gone, and in their place was a deep, gigantic hole.

Lv Mudui was in disbelief. His eyes reflected the luster from the giant deep hole. A light-blue, egg-shaped shell covered the hole, and it glowed splendidly.

The sense of pressure was coming from the "eggshell."

Lv Mudui trembled with excitement.

Immortal encounter!

The Immortal encounter that Young Master Lu mentioned… was really here!

Lv Mudui slowly walked forward. Faced with the prospect of Immortal encounter, he almost wasn't his usual self.

He walked up to the light-blue "eggshell."

The "eggshell" was somewhat see-through. Staring at it, Lv Mudui could see a blurred but magnificent gate inside. It was the entrance to the underground palace!

The Secret Realm of Immortal encounter had to be inside!

Young Master Lu hadn't lied to him.

Lv Mudui's face flushed red. He kept trying to get closer to the light blue "eggshell," attempting to see what the underground palace inside the "eggshell" looked like.

When suddenly…

A dark shadow appeared on the other side of the "eggshell."

A largely white eyeball abruptly showed up on the other side of the "eggshell" and stared right back at Lv Mudui.

Lv Mudui instantly felt a cold shiver go down his spine.

A morbid sense of pressure came from the other side of the "eggshell."

Buzz…

The air, as if rippling, went through Lv Mudui's body.

"Barf!" He spat out blood.

His white gown was stained with blood as he staggered back, his bamboo staff in hand, a fearful expression on his face…

"Indeed, the 'eggshell' must be the protection for the Immortal encounter. Without what Young Master Lu called 'Heaven Qi Plaques' or 'Earth Qi Plaques,' no one is allowed to enter the gate," Lv Mudui immediately concluded.

His fear was followed by ecstasy.

The Immortal encounter was real!

He burst out laughing like a madman in front of the "eggshell," then hurried to leave, his bamboo staff in hand.

The world was going to be shaken by this Immortal encounter.

…

On the side of Beiluo Lake.

The tension in the air dissolved.

Face down on the ground, Mo Liuqi passed out in his own blood.

The Imperial Advisor's loose gown slightly moved in the wind. His back was soaked in cold sweat.

This assassin was something… he almost got him.

"Philosopher, how should we deal with the assassin?" Lu Fan asked, smiling.

He gazed at the Imperial Advisor as he sat in his wheelchair.

After all, the Imperial Advisor was the assassin's target, and it was the Imperial Advisor who had suffered the most from the assassin's unexpected moves. Therefore, it would be better to ask for the Imperial Advisor's opinion when it came to how the assassin should be dealt with.

The Imperial Advisor calmed down a little. He said with a smile, "Thanks to Ping'an, the assassin was stopped, so it's up to you as to what to do with him."

The Imperial Advisor was incredibly insightful. How could he tell that Lu Fan was intrigued by this assassin?

Lu Fan nodded. "Uncle Luo, please take this assassin to the cell. Later, I will interrogate him myself."

Luo Yue's heart was still pounding with fear, but when he heard what Lu Fan said, he hurriedly clasped his hands. "Yes," he said.

He then ordered someone to bind up Mo Liuqi and tie his hands behind his back.

When they were tying him up, a pearl hairpin fell off Mo Liuqi's waist.

Lu Fan beckoned, and the pearl hairpin flew into his hand.

It was a low-quality, cheap pearl hairpin with "Ah Zhu" carved on it. Lu Fan raised one eyebrow and glanced at Mo Liuqi.

The group packed up and made their way to Lu Manor.

Because of the assassination, the atmosphere on their way back was less relaxed than before.

At Lu Manor…

Jing Yue sat in a stone chair, bored, and played with his sword. He could support the standing sword with one finger, and the sword wouldn't move or fall.

In the center of the yard…

Mo Tianyu's hair was a total mess, and his lips were dry and chapped. The blood on his face was dry. He almost couldn't keep his eyes open.

"Don't fall asleep or you'll never wake up again. If you don't wake up, the Young Master will punish me when he comes back," Jing Yue said.

Jing Yue glanced at Mo Tianyu's head, which was sticking out of the ground.

"The top disciple of Confucianism ended up like this. What are we supposed to do with you?

"Tell me, why did you show off like that? What's wrong with living a low-profile life like I do? What's wrong with staying alive?

"You can't beat your opponent? Run! You can't run fast enough? Beg for mercy! Only staying alive can give you the chance to experience the future. That's called 'hope.'"

"You were lucky City Master Lu pleaded for you. Do you know what happened to the last guy who showed off like you did in front of the Young Master? His body's cold now. Alas…"

Jing Yue kept rambling as he played with his sword.

Mo Tianyu's face was flushed red with anger.

"Shut… shut…" Mo Tianyu weakly protested.

"What? You want me to shut up? Why didn't you tell me earlier? You didn't say anything. How was I supposed to know you wanted me to shut up?" Jing Yue said, still playing with his sword.

Mo Tianyu nearly stopped breathing.

He was already suffering, and yet they sent this chatterbox to drive him crazy.

Was Young Master Lu a monster?

Suddenly…

Jing Yue, who was about to continue arguing with Mo Tianyu, put his sword back into the sword box and stood up straight, a serious expression on his face.

Faint noises came from outside the small yard.

Lu Fan, still sitting in his wheelchair, showed up. The Imperial Advisor was also in Lu Fan's company and stood next to him.

The whole group arrived.

Mo Tianyu, whose head was the only visible part of his body, caught their attention immediately.

"Young Master!" Jing Yue had a flattering smile on his face even before he saw Lu Fan. "This guy isn't dead yet. Under my influence, he finally realized that life is amazing and managed to survive with his strong will. He's a miracle of life."

Lu Fan cast a glance at Jing Yue.

Lu Fan didn't know what to say about this absolutely shameless Sword Sect Grandmaster.

Seeing Mo Tianyu's pathetic situation, the Imperial Advisor stroked his beard and shook his head, a complicated expression on his face.

"This rascal made so much trouble for Ping'an. I apologize," the Imperial Advisor said.

Sitting in his wheelchair, Lu Fan smiled.

"Don't worry. It's not that much trouble to take care of Mo Tianyu."

Lu Fan was soon surrounded by light blue Qi flows.

His control of Spirit Pressure was now even more proficient.

The Spirit Pressure went underground.

Boom!

With a soft sound, Mo Tianyu's body was squeezed out of the ground and flew into the air.

"Jing Yue, catch him," Lu Fan said. He then withdrew the Spirit Pressure.

Jing Yue instantly leaped acrobatically into the air, sending the leaves in the yard whirling above the ground.

He took the falling Mo Tianyu into his arms, and the duo then slowly whirled down, the leaves dancing around them.

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Chapter 57: White Jade City Disciples Shall be Included in the Rank of the Heroes in the World

It was very quiet in the yard, and the leaves danced silently in the wind.

"This day last year, by this door, your face blushed like peach blossoms…" Lu Fan quoted from a well-known poem.

Lu Fan watched the beautiful scene as he gently tapped on the wheelchair armrest, a half-smile on his face.

"Ahem, ahem…"

Lu Fan didn't even try to hide the sarcasm in his voice. Everyone looked extremely awkward and uncomfortable.

Mo Tianyu coughed weakly. "Put… put me down!" he said, sounding slightly irritated.

Jing Yue, carrying his flowering pear tree sword box, landed on the ground in the yard with a carefree smile on his face.

"If you wanted me to put you down, why didn't you say something earlier? How was I supposed to know you wanted me to put you down?" Jing Yue said.

"There you go again. You're more nice than wise. Would you even be able to keep your balance if I set you down? I'm supposed to carry you. It's Young Master's orders. Do you actually think that I want to? If you want me to put you down, stop clinging onto me so tightly," Jing Yue babbled on.

Mo Tianyu's face flushed red with anger.

His chapped lips parted, as if he wanted to say something.

But Jing Yue let go all of a sudden.

Bang! Mo Tianyu landed on his butt. It was… a solid landing.

"Okay, okay. Tianyu, apologize to Ping'an. It's about time for us to go back to the capital city," the Imperial Advisor said.

The Imperial Advisor kept his arms crossed inside his wide sleeves.

On the ground, Mo Tianyu, who was half-dead, staggered to his feet. Every inch of his body ached like mad.

He'd thought he was going to die, but he lived.

The instant Lu Fan's Spirit Pressure came down on him was the moment he realized he had no control over his own life, as he hovered between life and death…

His pride was destroyed by his sense of helplessness and fear.

Mo Tianyu's gaze was lowered. He raised his trembling and bloody hands and clasped them as he bowed toward Lu Fan.

"What Tianyu's done does not deserve your forgiveness. Yet, I beg Young Master Lu to forgive me for the Confucianism Philosopher's sake."

Mo Tianyu took a deep breath, and the bitter taste of blood went down his throat.

In the wheelchair, Lu Fan used one hand to hold his chin, while the other hand rested on the thin woolen blanket over his lap.

Lu Fan's black hair danced above his head in the wind.

"When you return, really pay attention to the Confucianism Philosopher to learn from him. And… don't randomly tell people's fortunes anymore."

"Fortune-telling isn't for you," Lu Fan said.

Mo Tianyu's whole body trembled. The corners of his lips twitched. He felt like his heart had been stabbed by a sharp blade.

"I appreciate Young Master's advice." Mo Tianyu bowed again.

The Imperial Advisor was surprised at Mo Tianyu's reaction. Mo Tianyu, once so arrogant, was now incredibly humble. It was totally unexpected, and he felt as if he were meeting his disciple for the first time.

It seemed like Mo Tinayu's experience had taught him a lot.

The Imperial Advisor left.

He took Mo Tianyu, who was covered in wounds, with him, and together they climbed into the carriage drawn by five horses to leave Beiluo City.

The Imperial Advisor found this trip to Beiluo City very satisfactory.

He realized what a real Blessed was like after witnessing Lu Fan's strength.

Of course, he'd also learned a different name to call them by: cultivators.

The Imperial Advisor had a feeling that maybe the future… would be the cultivators'.

However, it was also an opportunity for Great Zhou to reverse the tide.

The Imperial Advisor trusted Lu Fan a lot. He didn't see much ambition in him. Or, to put it another way… a mere Great Zhou Dynasty couldn't satisfy Lu Fan's ambition.

So overall, the Imperial Advisor was pleased with this trip.

He was worried about one thing, though. Worst-case scenario, Lu Fan had his eye on the throne, and would gather forces to divide Great Zhou, just like the 13 counties.

If that was the case, Great Zhou wouldn't stand a chance.

…

Outside Beiluo City, on the plains that stretched beyond the horizon…

The pounding of hooves left the road behind the carriage in rising dust.

Inside the horse-drawn carriage…

The Imperial Advisor was crouched inside, and Mo Tianyu was lying on his back, staring at the ceiling in silence.

"Tianyu, do you hold a grudge against Lu Fan?" the Imperial Advisor asked slowly.

Mo Tianyu's face was blank as he gazed at the ceiling of the carriage.

"At first, yes. But… being buried underneath the ground made the time go so slowly that one day felt like a year. As a result, I don't feel hatred anymore. Instead, I'm kind of grateful," Mo Tianyu said.

His voice was a little husky.

There was a look of surprise on the Imperial Advisor's wrinkled face.

"Really? You've changed," he said.

The corners of Mo Tianyu's mouth slightly curled upward.

"Having a near-death experience definitely makes a person evaluate their life and come to certain realizations. I used to be so proud and arrogant. Besides for the Confucianism Philosopher, I never took anyone seriously. It was, in fact… quite ridiculous of me to think so highly of myself."

"Just look at Young Master Lu and the Philosophers of Hundred Schools of Philosophy. Or Xiang Shaoyun, the Conquer of West County, and Jiang Li from Drunken Dragon City. They're all way stronger than I am. Even… Junior Brother Kong Nanfei is better than me. So, when I think about how arrogant I used to be… it's really absurd," Mo Tianyu said slowly.

The Imperial Advisor's smile grew wider, and he lifted his hand to stroke his beard. There was a nice healthy glow on his face.

"It's not too late in life for you to realize all this."

"From what you just said, it seems that you have your own ideas about the ranks of the warlords and heroes in this world. Do you care to share your thoughts with your mentor?"

The Imperial Advisor smiled.

He was glad to find that his disciple had come to this important realization.

Mo Tianyu's eyes blazed as he struggled to sit up, looking like he'd just risen from the dead.

"This is just my own personal ranking, and doesn't included the Philosophers of Hundred Schools of Philosophy.

"In first place, of course, is the Conquer of West County, who was born with unbelievable power. He is a Grandmaster martial arts practitioner who's pretty much matchless.

"The second best would be Mo Shougui of Mohist, the son of Mo Beike. He absorbed the quintessence of Hundred Schools of Philosophy, yet also successfully discarded the not-so-helpful parts. His strength and style is something few can match.

"Third is Daoist No. 1, Li Sansi. Riding a black ox and holding a wooden sword, he was able to defeat West Rong's army of two thousand men and take back three cities on the border from the enemy," Mo Tianyu said.

Mo Tianyu then let out a sigh.

The Imperial Advisor nodded with a smile.

"Of course, now…" Mo Tianyu slowly continued. Looking outside the carriage, Mo Tianyu laid his eyes on the rising smoke at the end of the plains. "Lu Ping'an of Beiluo City has to have his place among the top three."

The Imperial Advisor also looked outside the window. He didn't deny what Mo Tianyu said.

Yet, recalling the scene on Beiluo Lake Island when Lu Fan placed chess pieces down with such a powerful aura, as if the whole world and its future were in his hands…

The Imperial Advisor's smile became more profound.

Merely "have his place?"

The carriage was galloping along at full speed.

The setting sun was as red as a shy girl's cheeks. Amidst the rosy clouds in the sky, it's light fell on the ground, stretching the shadow of the carriage to an incredible length on the plain.

…

Night fell.

The bright moon was hanging high in the sky, casting cold moonlight on the ground.

In Beiluo City, Lu Manor…

Lu Fan was sitting in his wheelchair, studying the pearl hairpin in his hand while he played with it. Under the moonlight, his skin was as smooth as a jade. His lips were red, and his teeth were polished and white. He looked like a fallen Immortal.

Ning Zhao and Yi Yue were both standing behind Lu Fan. Their figures were slim and graceful.

Ni Yu, who was carrying the chessboard on her back, had a grievous look on her face while she did a not-so-perfect half-squat per Nie Changqing's instructions.

Jing Yue was looking at Ni Yu with amusement.

In the little pond, fish were swimming around, making the water ripple.

"Sister Ning, Nie…" Lu Fan said slowly.

Nie Changqing walked up to him, and asked in unison with Ning Zhao, "Young Master, what can I do for you?"

"The Secret Realm, Hidden Dragon Ridge. You two know about it, right?" Lu Fan asked.

Nie Changqing and Ning Zhao's hearts skipped a beat.

"This is a huge opportunity for the two of you… So if all the heroes and warlords in the world come and gather at Hidden Dragon Ridge, what's your chance of getting the Immortal encounter?" Lu Fan asked.

He was playing with the white jade chess pieces.

Nie Changqing thought for a while, and his eyes flashed with bitterness and disappointment.

"No chance at all," Nie Changqing said.

Ning Zhao also looked a little down, since she knew Nie Changqing was right.

"If it's the Young Master, the Immortal encounter's guaranteed. But when it comes to us… compared to the top heroes in the world, we're still too weak."

"The Conqueror of West County, Xiang Shaoyun, could defeat Grandmaster martial arts practitioners at the age of six. It's impossible to know for sure how strong he really is. At least… even though Changqing has Knife Control Technique, I'm afraid he still doesn't stand a chance against Xiang Shaoyun," Ning Zhao said.

Ning Zhao then fell into silence. If Nie Changqing didn't stand a chance, then her chances of beating Xiang Shaoyun were even slimmer.

Even if she managed to learn Spirit Pressure from the Young Master, because of the vast difference in power between herself and Lu Fan, her Spirit Pressure wouldn't even work.

"Besides Xiang Shaoyun, there are also Mo Shougui of Mohist, Li Sansi of Daoist, and Ximen Xianzhi of Sword Sect… If these people also come to Hidden Dragon Ridge, then we definitely wouldn't stand a chance," Nie Changqing said.

He was telling the truth.

The dim moonlight obscured their figures.

Lu Fan was sitting in his wheelchair, and Nie Changqing and Ning Zhao couldn't see his features that well.

Lu Fan's sudden silence made them feel a little uneasy.

Lu Fan laughed after a long while.

"Interesting," he said.

Lu Fan slightly raised his hand, and it looked so smooth under the moonlight that it seemed to be made of glazed glass.

He pointed at Beiluo Lake Island in the distance.

He focused his consciousness and activated the Access of (Spirit Qi Deployment), deploying 100 wisps of Spirit Qi through the air to Beiluo Lake Island. The Spirit Qi concentration on Beiluo Lake Island suddenly became 100 times stronger. Now, it was at the level of 10000 wisps.

Nie Changqing and Ning Zhao both felt it. Shocked, they looked in the direction of Beiluo Lake Island.

In the dark, it looked as if countless meteors were shooting across the night sky, and the whole island appeared to be surrounded by them.

The Spirit Qi in their body started stirring uncontrollably.

Sitting in his wheelchair, Lu Fan laughed as he clapped his hands.

"Now go ahead and get on the island. Before the Secret Realm of Hidden Dragon Ridge is activated, at least get to Ninth Stage Qi Core Realm."

"When the Roc flies into the sky, thousands of miles will be passed by."

"White jade city disciples shall be ranked among the heroes of this world."

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Chapter 58: The Immortal Encounter Isn't Worth the Bother

The bright moon hung low in the night sky, casting cold moonlight across the ground.

Clouds were passing in front of the moon, and the moon seemed to flicker in the dark.

Lv Mudui's white gown was messy with bloodstains. He staggered out of Hidden Dragon Ridge as he lightly tapped his bamboo stick against the ground.

Behind him in the thick woods…

Night crows cried and flew high in the air.

The coachman waiting for Lv Mudui was shocked when he saw his appearance, and he immediately ran over to him.

"Have you run across some fierce animals in the mountain, sir? Earlier, I saw some of the locals running out of the ridge scared. There must be some kind of monster or something in the mountains…" the coachman said.

He then helped Lv Mudui into the carriage.

Lv Mudui waved his hand. Although he looked miserable, he was actually extremely excited. Sitting inside the carriage, he couldn't help but tremble with excitement.

"Head to the capital city!" Lv Mudui said.

The coachman was puzzled, but he didn't ask any further questions. Instead, he raised his whip, and the horse neighed and took off running.

…

In the capital city.

It was the dead of night, and all was quiet, yet in a busy and prosperous neighborhood, a tea houses's light was still on.

Behind the counter, a young girl with her hair twisted into a bun on her head was still balancing the books, and she seemed a little bored.

In the tea house, the chairs were placed upside down on the tables, and a waiter with a white towel over one shoulder was cleaning up.

Suddenly…

A noise came from outside the door.

The girl with the bun immediately became alert. "Who's there? It's late at night. We're not serving tea anymore."

Outside the door, there was a long silence, followed by a man's husky voice.

"Astrology is more subtle than tricks; no need to tell fortunes to give the world a tease."

Hearing the man's coded message, the young girl's eyes lit up. She ran out from behind the counter and hurried to open the door.

She opened it and saw an older man dressed in white standing there, a green bamboo staff in one of his hands. He looked exhausted.

"Uncle!" the girl exclaimed.

"Shh." Lv Mudui placed his trembling finger to his lips.

The girl closed the door. Footsteps soon came from upstairs.

Lv Mudui pulled out a chair, sat down, and let out a long sigh.

A beautiful lady in a high-quality satin outfit, her hair twisted into a knot, elegantly walked down the stairs.

"Lv, how come you're so flustered? His Excellency wanted you to stay in Beiluo City. Why did you come to the capital city?"

The lady looked confused.

The waiter poured a cup of tea for Lv Mudui.

Lv Mudui knocked back the whole cup, even though it was scolding hot. He then turned to the lady and suddenly threw the three copper coins at her that he'd been holding tightly in his hand.

The lady slightly raised her hand and caught the coins between her fingers.

What?

Her long, dark brows furrowed when she noticed that the three coins had turned black and even started cracking.

The lady inhaled sharply. "What did you do?"

"I went to Hidden Dragon Ridge and saw something terrible…" Lv Mudui ginned, exposing the gap left by his missing front tooth.

"What took you to Hidden Dragon Ridge?"

The lady was puzzled, and she threw the copper coins back at Lv Mudui.

"Immortal encounter appeared at Hidden Dragon Ridge. The Secret Realm will change the whole world. A very capable and knowledgeable person told me about the Immortal encounter at Hidden Dragon Ridge. I paid a special trip there based on my calculation and ended up seeing something terrifying."

Lv Mudui took a deep breath. A serious look replaced his grin.

"Junior sister Qianqian, may I borrow the Astrology Sect messenger pigeons?" Lv Mudui asked.

The lady gave Lv Mudui a meaningful glance. "Are you serious? Once the Astrology Sect messenger pigeons are used, it'll affect the entire world. Do you really insist on doing this? If things go wrong, will you be able to bear the consequences for it?" she asked.

Lv Mudui gave her a profound look.

"Whatever the consequences are, I will bear them," Lv Mudui said.

The woman nodded. "Okay."

The two of them then walked upstairs.

The young girl and the waiter glanced at each other, looking lost.

In the secret room hidden in the attic…

Lv Mudui followed the lady and entered.

He took out a piece of dark yellow paper. Then, he pounded on his chest with his fist, coughed blood, and used it as ink to write on the paper.

"Ten Qi Plaques, Heaven and Earth; Hidden Dragon lies with ghosts and gods;

"Spirit Qi is waking up the universe, and cultivation is the key to eternal life.

…

Astrology Sect, Lv Mudui, bloodletter."

Standing behind Lv Mudui, the beautiful lady's eyes bulged with shock.

If what Lv Mudui was talking about was true, the world… was about to undergo profound changes!

"Is this… true?" she asked.

"If it isn't, the heavens will smite me with lightning," Lv Mudui said.

He wiped off the blood.

Then he wrote numerous copies of the letter and put them in the message containers tied to each Astrology Sect messenger pigeon. Then, he opened the cage.

The sound of fluttering wings instantly filled the air.

White pigeons flew out from the cage one after another and took off flying in different directions from the capital city.

Watching the Astrology Sect messenger pigeons flood the sky, Lv Mudui smiled with relief.

The lady frowned. She didn't say anything further to Lv Mudui. Instead, she went downstairs and sent people on their way to Hidden Dragon Ridge at full speed.

…

Astrology Sect messenger pigeons were used by Astrology Sect to send information to the world.

With all the Astrology Sect messenger pigeons out…

That night, Astrology Sect's power bases in each city all received the news.

The influential practitioners of Astrology Sect read the message in disbelief.

Spirit Qi was going to wake up in the world?

There's Immortal encounter at Hidden Dragon Ridge? And those with Heaven Qi or Earth Qi Plaques can get Immortal encounter?

What the hell was going on?

Others hurried to send high-level practitioners to Hidden Dragon Ridge.

Soon, explorers riding on horseback were everywhere to be seen in the world, and left clouds of dust in their wake.

The morning after, the sun came out and covered the ground in sunlight.

Deep in Hidden Dragon Ridge…

Many people were standing and watching the "eggshell" in disbelief. In the glorious morning light, the "eggshell" was a riot of colors, and it made everyone's heart skip a beat.

The Immortal encounter was… real!

The news was sent back to every city.

Astrology Sect messenger pigeons were sent everywhere in Great Zhou.

…

North county, Tantai Manor.

Tantai Xuan had a solemn expression on his face. Below the platform, Mo Ju, who was wearing a long gown and a silk kerchief, was studying the letter with his eyes squinted.

"Hidden Dragon Ridge outside Beiluo City has Immortal encounter…"

As Mo Ju held the letter between his fingers, a thoughtful look passed across his face.

Astrology Sect used Astrology Sect messenger pigeons to disseminate the news. At this moment, perhaps the whole world had learned it by now.

The information had to be true. Astrology Sect wouldn't use Astrology Sect messenger pigeons without good cause to. When they used them…

It was for information that would set the world ablaze.

"Mo Ju, do you think the information is reliable?" Tantai Xuan asked.

Sitting in an old-fashioned wooden armchair, Tantai Xuan frowned and deferred to his advisor, Mo Ju.

"I'm ninety percent sure it's true. Mayor, do you remember the fight at Beiluo City?"

Mo Ju was gently waving his feather fan.

Recalling the battle at Beiluo City, Tantai Xuan's face darkened.

He'd gathered an army of 50,000 and had seen the dawn of victory. But, out of nowhere, things took an unexpected turn.

His forces lost terribly to Jiang Li, who had, as if by luck, defeated them all himself by using his spear. The morale of Tantai Xuan's army was heavily damaged.

"The beautiful yet lethal woman was the maid of Lu Ping'an from Beiluo City. The techniques she used belonged to cultivators who obtained Immortal encounter," Mo Ju said. His eyes were blazing. "If it hadn't been for that, we wouldn't have lost. The existence of cultivators was the unforeseen variable.

"Mayor, the world has changed. The Immortal encounter will change the war. We need to seize the opportunity to take the Immortal encounter and train our own cultivators. This is the only way to guard our territory.

"Otherwise, even if Great Zhou collapses, we still may fall victim to other forces in the future.

"As far as I know, the Conquer of West County, Xiang Shaoyun, has already gotten Immortal encounter. He's become even stronger, and nobody knows just how strong he really is now. He can definitely fight an army of 10,000," Mo Ju said.

Tantai Xuan's eyes narrowed with concern. Xiang Shaoyun was already horrifyingly strong. If he got the Immortal encounter, who would be able to stop him in the future?

"Send our men to Hidden Dragon Ridge of Beiluo City! Take the Immortal encounter!" Tantai Xuan shouted.

He stood up and slapped the wooden chair's armrest.

…

West County.

In the camp of the army.

Xiang Shaoyun, who was incredibly tall and robust, was sitting in a large chair, staring at the letter. His eyes were blazing, and it looked like there were real flames burning inside them.

In a spot below him stood an elderly man with a hunched back. His hair was all white, and he looked as if he would pass out at any moment.

"Shaoyun, you have to take a trip to Hidden Dragon Ridge. The very existence of Immortal encounter is enough to change the world.

"Plus, as to the 'Heaven Qi Plaques and Earth Qi Plaques,' I have already sent people to gather them.

"You go get ready. I'll have Shougui go with you," the elderly man said slowly.

"No need, Uncle. I can handle it myself," Xiang Shaoyun said, sitting in the chair and glancing at the elderly man.

The elderly gentleman was the head of Mohist, Mo Beike.

He was as strong as the Imperial Advisor from Confucianism.

Xiang Shaoyun's tone sounded aggressive.

Mo Beike paused. A moment later, he said, "The Immortal encounter is for chosen ones. You won't be able to take all of it for yourself."

…

The capital city. In the book tower.

The Imperial Advisor was holding the letter as he looked at the morning sun in the distance.

"Immortal encounter… Heaven Qi Plaques and Earth Qi Plaques…"

Recalling what the emperor told him, the Imperial Advisor took in a deep breath.

The Secret Realm of Hidden Dragon Ridge was now known by the world.

But…

"Why would Astrology Sect put in so much effort to promote it? Was someone controlling everything behind the scenes, trying to muddy the waters?"

The Imperial Advisor's cloudy eyes suddenly lit up.

…

On that day…

The news that there was Immortal encounter at Hidden Dragon Ridge spread to every county in Great Zhou.

The world was shaken.

The "Heaven Qi Plaques" and "Earth Qi Plaques" were discovered one by one in different places by heroes.

…

Beiluo City.

Lu Manor.

The morning sunlight shined down on Lu Manor.

Lu Fan woke up relaxed, and he started another luxurious day with the help of Yi Yue and Ni Yu.

He'd already taught Ning Zhao Ksitigarbha Sutra and sent her to Beiluo Lake Island overnight to practice cultivation there.

Yi Yue pushed the wheelchair out of the yard.

Jing Yue, carrying his flowering pear tree sword box, put on an obsequious smile when he saw Lu Fan. "Good morning, Young Master!"

Lu Fan glanced at him and nodded.

"Let's go check on the assassin from yesterday," Lu Fan said.

Sitting in the wheelchair, he yawned and stretched.

Still pushing the wheelchair, Yi Yue parted her rosy lips. "Yes."

Suddenly…

Outside the little yard…

Lu Changkong came inside in a hurry. He had already put on his dark armor and his full set of battle gear.

"Fan'er," Lu Changkong said.

His brows were tightly knitted together.

Lu Changkong had a piece of dark yellow paper in his hand.

He handed the letter to Lu Fan. Lu Fan glanced at it and immediately understood what was going on. One corner of his mouth curled upward.

It looked like Lv Mudui had already spread the news.

"There's Immortal encounter at Hidden Dragon Ridge. Astrology Sect spread the news across the world. Now, all the heroes are gathered at the ridge. According to information gathered by scouts, Hundred Schools of Philosophy and the mayors of at least five counties are coming with forces. Beiluo City needs to strengthen its defense for the time being."

"Fan'er, is the Immortal encounter real?" Lu Changkong asked with a serious look on his face.

Sitting in the wheelchair, Lu Fan put down the letter and nodded with a smile.

Lu Changkong took a deep breath, gritted his teeth, and made up his mind. "Well… then I'll give you an army of 10,000 men to go with you to fight for the Immortal encounter!" he said.

In his wheelchair, Lu Fan burst out laughing.

He was touched, though.

Yet he simply waved his hand.

"No need for an army of 10,000. I will send Nie and Sister Ning."

Lu Changkong looked confused. "Won't you go yourself to get the Immortal encounter?"

Lu Fan laughed at Lu Changkong's words.

A breeze rushed by them, and his sideburns danced.

A moment later, his voice, which was casual and calm, echoed in the yard.

"No, it's not worth the bother."

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Chapter 59: The Planner Is an Outsider

Not worth the bother?

Lu Fan's answer made Lu Changkong speechless.

How could someone think the Immortal encounter wasn't worth the bother?

Wouldn't it be good to have it?!

Lu Changkong frowned. "Will sending Nie Changqing and Ning Zhao be enough?" he asked for confirmation.

"It'll be enough," Lu Fan said with a smile.

Lu Changkong fell silent. He didn't like to be pushy. Besides, he was well aware that Lu Fan probably had a lot of secrets.

Lu Fan had the strength to withstand someone at the Philosopher level, so maybe it made sense that Lu Fan looked down upon the Immortal encounter. He could afford to.

Actually, according to the scouts, none of the philosophers from Hundred Schools of Philosophy were among the heroes and practitioners who went to Hidden Dragon Ridge this time.

"Okay, as long as you know what you want to do. But this rush for the Immortal encounter happened within the realm of our Beiluo City, after all. I still need to do my best to guard Beiluo in case something happens and the city gets involved," Lu Changkong said.

He was serious.

Lu Fan nodded his agreement.

"Father, if you have the time, you can take a walk on Beiluo Lake Island more often. That place is as good as the Immortal encounter Secret Realm," Lu Fan said.

He tried to remind Lu Changkong of what happened.

On Beiluo Lake Island, Lu Changkong had entered the Second Stage Qi Core Realm. His cultivation talent was much higher than Lu Fan had expected. In Lu Fan's eyes, it would do Lu Changkong some good to spend more time on cultivation.

"Okay. I got it. After this dragon ridge business is all taken care of, I'll move to Beiluo Lake Island. Those chrysanthemums… I found them quite lovely."

The thoughtful look on Lu Fan's face gave way to a smile.

As a descendant of Agriculturist, Lu Changkong had always had a certain affection toward strange or rare plants.

Lu Changkong left, wearing his armor and gear, his knife at his waist. He left the little yard and headed to the city wall.

Hidden Dragon Ridge was roughly 30 miles from Beiluo City. Once all the forces that had come to the ridge started fighting against each other, Beiluo City might get drawn into the mix. It was also possible that some of the Mayors would attack Beiluo City under the excuse of looking for the Immortal encounter.

Lu Changkong had to be there on the city wall to deter them.

…

In the dungeon of Lu Manor…

The floor was wet and dirty, and the air was filled with the stench of blood.

It was the second time Lu Fan had come to the jail.

The first time he was here, his words had decided the fate of dozens of Confucianists. The blood that had splattered on the walls had taken a whole day and night to clean up.

This was the second time, yet this time, Lu Fan didn't feel much like killing.

Mo Liuqi woke up.

He was very tightly tied up on a cross.

"I'm… not dead?"

Mo Liuqi opened his eyes. He felt a prickling pain throughout his body. This was part of the aftereffects from the horrendous Spirit Pressure he had suffered, which had almost crushed his bones.

The door to the dungeon opened.

The sound of wooden wheels rolling over the wet floor filled the jail.

The blinding sunshine from outside the door made Mo Liuqi tear up.

He closed his eyes, waiting for the light to dim before he opened his eyes again. Then, he saw his visitor's face.

In front of him was a young man in a white gown, with rosy lips and pearly white teeth. He was wearing a white gown and had skin as fair as a white jade, and long hair that fell straight down his back. He had a gentle, unrestrained manner.

Next to him stood a maid with an attractive face and figure. There was also a little girl carrying a chessboard on her back, and she was angrily staring at Mo Liuqi.

There were several armored soldiers standing around, and they made the atmosphere tense.

Lu Manor dungeon… Mo Liuqi recognized it.

He was no stranger to the smell of dungeons.

"Mohist sent you for the assassination?" the young man asked.

The wheelchair stopped three steps away from Mo Liuqi and faced him. The young man with rosy lips and white teeth was playing with his long, thin fingers. His voice was flat.

"Kill me or torture me however you wish," Mo Liuqi said.

Mo Liuqi looked down, a hint of despair in his eyes.

Ah Zhu, I'm going to die.

Mo Liuqi felt his heart grow heavy. He didn't feel any regret. He simply felt a sense of loss.

He was afraid he would never see Ah Zhu again. She was the one who assigned him the mission.

"You're not cut out to be an assassin. An assassin shouldn't have such strong feelings," Lu Fan said.

Lu Fan was holding his chin with one hand, while a pearl hairpin had suddenly appeared in his other.

Mo Liuqi immediately looked up and stared at the pearl hairpin in Lu Fan's hand.

"So give up the assassin gig. Follow me," Lu Fan said.

Mo Liuqi was surprised. He never expected Lu Fan to recruit him instead of ordering him to be killed.

"Normally, I wouldn't let you live, considering you attempted to assassinate someone near my White Jade City."

"But I, Lu Fan, am a very good-tempered person, so I've decided to give you a chance to live and see the person you love again."

Lu Fan raised his hand. The pearl hairpin was now floating in the air.

Controlled by Lu Fan's consciousness, it floated before Mo Liuqi's eyes and came less than a centimeter away from his pupil.

"You can conduct 'scissors consciousness-control,' which means you're very talented. That's why I'm giving you this opportunity.

"One day. If you can enter Third Stage Qi Core Realm within one day, I'll allow you to live. I'll also give you a chance to say goodbye to Ah Zhu," Lu Fan said.

Lu Fan's tone was flat.

"What if I can't?" Sweat was dripping down Mo Liuqi's forehead.

The man in front of him was unbelievably unpredictable.

The terrifying Spirit Pressure he had produced felt like a mountain pressing down on him. It was scarier than the Confucianism Philosopher's Righteousness Qi Pressure.

Now, he could easily control an item without touching it, like it was nothing.

Mo Liuqi could control his scissors with his consciousness, so he was aware of how difficult it was to control things that way.

"If you can't…"

Lu Fan glanced expressionlessly at Mo Liuqi.

"I'll kill you. But don't worry. If that ends up being the case, I'll still let Ah Zhu see you for the last time. The only thing is… it'll be to see your bloody head," Lu Fan said.

The corners of his mouth curled upward into a wide smile.

Mo Liuqi instantly felt a chill run down his spine.

To the side, Ni Yu glanced at her scary-looking Young Master, and her lips twitched with displeasure.

The way the Young Master tried to intimidate people was… just garbage.

Mo Liuqi closed his eyes and tried to picture Ah Zhu seeing his head soaked in blood, and then smiled bitterly.

Maybe she wouldn't feel a thing.

But…

"Fine. I'll take it," Mo Liuqi said.

"Good," Lu Fan said with a smile.

The pearl hairpin under Lu Fan's control inserted itself into the bun on Mo Liuqi's head.

The ropes around Mo Liuqi also broke off on their own, and Mo Liuqi fell to the floor.

"Jing Yue, take him to the island," Lu Fan said flatly.

The wheelchair turned around by itself as his words echoed throughout the jail.

Carrying his flowering pear tree sword box, Jing Yue picked up Mo Liuqi with a radiant smile on his face.

…

Beiluo Lake Island.

The boat docked.

Yi Yue pushed the wheelchair off the boat. Ni Yu, having puked her way there, was carrying the chessboard. Her legs were shaking.

Mo Liuqi's head was down as he walked. Jing Yue followed him.

From a distance…

Blasting sounds came.

Nie Changqing and Ning Zhao suddenly showed up.

The two bowed. "Young Master."

Lu Fan waved his hand. "I'm very disappointed in you two. A whole night, and you've only refined one wisp of Spirit Qi?"

Overnight, Nie Changqing had entered the Second Stage Qi Core Realm, and Ning Zhao had entered Third Stage Qi Core Realm.

Yet Lu Fan was still unsatisfied.

After all, the current Spirit Qi intensity on Beiluo Lake Island had reached the level of 10,000 wisps.

Together with the gentle, mild Spirit Qi breathed by the adjusting ten Heaven Facing Spiritual Chrysanthemums, the cultivation environment here was arguably the best in Wuhuang Continent.

But even with an environment like that, their cultivation progress was slow.

Ning Zhao bit her lower lip and looked down with shame.

Nie Changqing did the same.

They disappointed Lu Fan.

"The Secret Realm of Hidden Dragon Ridge has already appeared. You have one day left. After that, head to Hidden Dragon Ridge," Lu Fan said, his voice emotionless.

"Yes," Nie Changqing and Ning Zhao quickly responded in unison.

They then left to refine Spirit Qi.

"Jing Yue, keep an eye on him. He can walk around all he wants on the island. If he leaves the island, kill him," Lu Fan said.

Lu Fan's wheelchair was now rolling along by itself.

Jing Yue instantly stood up straight.

"Young Master, I'm on it."

Jing Yue's gaze then traveled to Mo Liuqi.

"Yi Yue," Lu Fan said unexpectedly.

Yi Yue, who was still pushing the wheelchair, turned to Lu Fan in surprise.

"You once asked me for Immortal encounter, but I didn't give it to you. Now, seeing that your Qi and blood are stirring up… even though you haven't reached the level of First Tier martial arts practitioner yet, you're pretty close, so I've decided to give you a chance."

He gazed at Yi Yue.

Yi Yue was thrilled, and her attractive face lit up.

She knelt down on the ground, her whole body trembling with excitement.

"I want you to practice cultivation on the island with Mo Liuqi. If you can comprehend the sense of Qi and enter Qi Core Realm, I'll teach you real Immortal method," Lu Fan said.

Yi Yue was more than thrilled. She kowtowed and expressed her gratitude a thousand times over.

Lu Fan gazed at Yi Yue, who was incredibly excited, and didn't say anything.

Yi Yue was different from Ni Yu and Ning Zhao. She carried a grudge and was determined to get revenge.

When Lu Changkong practically saved Ning Zhao, Yi Yue, and Ni Yu from the heap of dead refugees, Yi Yue was the special one out of the lot.

She'd held a blood-stained blade in her hand, her eyes filled with hatred.

Lu Fan had learned about Yi Yue's background. She was from a small, well-known aristocratic family from West County—a family of scholars. But the entire family was slaughtered, just because they were against Mohist for intervening in West County's affairs. Yi Yue was the only one who survived. She escaped to Beiluo City with the refugees, and was eventually saved by Lu Changkong.

"Don't thank me yet. Wait until you've refined the sense of Qi," Lu Fan said.

He was sitting in the wheelchair, his back to Yi Yue.

"Ni Yu, push me upstairs," he said.

"Yes," Ni Yu replied. She pushed the wheelchair upstairs to the patio on the second floor of the building of White Jade City.

Lu Fan took the chessboard from Ni Yu and laid it out in front of him, along with boxes full of black and white chess pieces.

Ni Yu was busy boiling green plum wine.

Boom…

Suddenly, dark clouds moved across the sky, which had been beautiful and sunny a moment before.

The wind started blowing on the lake, and a sense of pressure filled the air.

Lu Fan picked up a chess piece.

Suddenly, the wind and clouds moved dramatically above the building.

Lu Fan's eyes suddenly changed as he gently stroked the Spirit Pressure Chessboard. They became unfathomably profound.

Numerous moving lines formed the terrain of Hidden Dragon Ridge.

All the heroes and their countless armies surrounding Hidden Dragon Ridge…

Were all reflected on the Spirit Pressure Chessboard in the form of red dots.

He was the planner. He was also an outsider.

The plan of reviving Spirit Qi was…

In motion.

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Chapter 60: Venturing the Secret Realm Without Qi Plaques?

Outside Hidden Dragon Ridge…

Luo Cheng was heading toward the ridge with a small troop following behind him.

Hidden Dragon Ridge, which didn't see many visitors, was swamped. At the foot of the mountain, army camps, cold battle armor, and sharp blades were everywhere, and they all glistened intimidatingly. The atmosphere was solemn and bone-chilling.

Lu Changkong sent him to check on the situation at Hidden Dragon Ridge. At first, Luo Cheng didn't give Hidden Dragon Ridge that much thought.

After all, he was still suspicious about things like Immortal encounter.

How could there really be Immortals in the world?

It was nothing but a fantasy made up by those impostors of Yinyang School.

Although Luo Cheng had followed Lu Fan when he cracked down on the three major aristocratic families, he'd never been on Beiluo Lake Island. As a result, he wasn't aware of the Spirit Qi storm on Beiluo Lake Island, and was still skeptical about the so-called Immortals.

Luo Cheng was very cautious. So many forces had come to Hidden Dragon City, and this shocked him.

He didn't ride his horse into the ridge. Instead, he ordered a small team to get off their horses about three miles away from Hidden Dragon City. He commanded one of them to keep an eye on the horses, and the others to cautiously enter the ridge on foot.

Once they entered the ridge, they simply walked along the thick woods.

The more Luo Cheng saw, the more concerned he grew.

"The Mayor of North County… Tantai Xuan and his forces!"

Luo Cheng took a deep breath when he saw an army camped on the bare ground outside Hidden Dragon Ridge.

Moreover, as he hid in the thick woods and scanned the ground outside Hidden Dragon Ridge, he saw even more soldiers and horses.

There were forces everywhere… The number was no less than 10,000.

"South County, Jinyun County, East Sea County…"

Luo Cheng instantly felt overwhelmed, and sweat dripped down his forehead.

No wonder the City Master was taking this so seriously. If all these forces suddenly switched their target from Hidden Dragon Ridge to Beiluo City, it would be a difficult battle to win.

"That is… the Mayor of West County, Xiang Shaoyun?!"

Suddenly…

Luo Cheng saw an incredibly tall, strong man strut out of the tent like a tiger, and just his very presence alone exuded a terrifying, powerful pressure.

Luo Cheng felt as if both his heart and soul had left him.

Below, where Luo Cheng and his men were hiding…

Xiang Shaoyun sensed something, and he turned around and glanced deep into the woods.

"Scouts from Beiluo City? So sad. Even with the Immortal encounter right outside their city, without enough strength, those men won't be able to get it or control it…"

Xiang Shaoyun shook his head.

He heard that Young Master Lu from Beiluo City was among those who had obtained Immortal encounter, yet now that the Immortal encounter had appeared right in front of his own city, this Young Master Lu didn't even dare to come. That was just sad.

The corners of Xiang Shaoyun's mouth slightly curled upward.

He was actually quite interested in this Young Master Lu.

He heard that Tantai Xuan's army of 50,000 had surrounded Beiluo City and had come very close to taking it.

Yet that Young Master Lu, followed by his three maids, had completely turned the tables.

If Young Master Lu came to Hidden Dragon Ridge, Xiang Shaoyun actually wanted to meet him and see what he was like.

In the tent…

A beautiful, elegant woman emerged. Few in the world could match Luo Mingsang's beauty. As she gazed at Xiang Shaoyun's unbelievably strong figure, a smile bloomed across her gentle face.

Xiang Shaoyun felt her gaze on him, and he turned to her with a radiant smile on his muscular face.

"Shaoyun, the timing of this Immortal encounter seems odd. Please watch out," Luo Mingsang said.

"Don't worry. I know what I'm doing." Xiang Shaoyun smiled, his arm wrapped around her slender waist.

Many people looked their way. The Mayor of West County, who was taking a woman along with him and his forces, was incredibly arrogant and confident, like always.

Suddenly…

From the Hidden Dragon Ridge…

Dozens of scouts from different forces crawled out from the ridge in a frenzy.

They all had looks of fear and excitement on their faces.

Thump, thump!

The scouts rolled over the ridge and fell all the way down to the ground, leaving rolling clouds of dust in their wake.

The scouts' situation made all the different forces camping at the foot of the ridge become more nervous and stern.

A scout from West County knelt on one knee to Xiang Shaoyun, a surprised look still on his face.

"Report to the Mayor! Refreshing Qi and colorful waves were flowing out of the Immortal encounter Secret Realm," The soldier hurried to report, his fist clasped in his hand. "It sounded as if some dragon were groaning inside it, and it looked like it was about to open!"

Xiang Shaoyun's eyes lit up.

"Let's go."

Xiang Shaoyun didn't hesitate. He called upon his men to follow him, and they marched deep into the mountain.

Besides Xiang Shaoyun, all the other forces that had gotten the message also set off.

Of course, because the paths in the ridge were extremely rugged, the major forces couldn't enter.

Even if battles broke out, they couldn't happen inside the ridge. After all, there were concerns about miasma and poisonous bugs. If the soldiers got infected, it would cause a lot of trouble for the army.

Xiang Shaoyun's speed was astonishing.

He was about two meters tall, and all his muscles bulged as he carried a giant axe and massive shield on his back.

Together, the axe and shield weighed about 1000 pounds, but Xiang Shaoyun carried them like they were nothing.

All the officers and generals from Western Liang behind him were fired up.

The Conqueror of West County was their role model, and they believed in him with all their heart. He was the top martial arts practitioner in the martial arts world. In combat, Xiang Shaoyun would charge at the enemy with just his axe, even if he were up against 10,000 men.

It was rare to see him with both his axe and shield, but today… venturing to the place of Immortal encounter, the Conqueror wasn't willing to take any chances.

Soon…

They arrived at the "eggshell" of the Immortal spot deep in Hidden Dragon Ridge.

It wasn't the first time they had seen it, but everyone was stunned.

Under the sun, the "eggshell" of the Immortal spot was glowing with a rainbow of colors like a giant azure gem. It was so stunning that it had to be from another world.

Many noticed that there seemed to be Immortal palaces and splendid buildings inside the Immortal spot.

Regular soldiers had to stop a couple miles back, because if they went any closer to the Immortal spot, its incredibly powerful pressure would force them to their knees against their will.

Xiang Shaoyun's eyes blazed like torches as he carried the axe and shield on his back.

Studying the "eggshell" of the Immortal spot, he could tell that the "eggshell" was quickly fluctuating up and down, as if it were going to explode.

Xiang Shaoyun had an "Earth Qi Plaque," but he didn't take it out. He wanted to try to enter the Secret Realm with his own strength.

He walked toward it.

His dark and thick hair was like numerous steel needles stabbing the air as they danced with his strides.

Behind him, the officers from West County were all gazing at him with enthusiasm.

From a distance…

Someone was coming toward them on a white horse, and the deafening sound of its hooves against the ground tore through the air.

On the white horse was a young man wearing a black gown, a sword at his waist. He had a casual yet elegant bearing.

A couple of miles away from the Immortal spot, Tantai Xuan, donning his armor, was standing next to Mo Ju, who was slightly waving his feather fan as his eyes glared.

"Mohist… Mo Shougui!" Mo Ju said.

Suddenly, Mo Shougui stood on the back of the white horse and leaped into the air as he executed his top-tier acrobatic skills. He moved across like a dancing dragonfly above the water surface, only occasionally tapping the ground. He followed Xiang Shaoyun very closely.

Xiang Shaoyun glanced at him, yet he didn't say anything.

Then, he looked away and stared into the distance.

A Confucianist wearing a green gown emerged. Though he was sweating profusely, he was smiling gently, and he carried a bamboo book box on his back. He also stopped about two miles back from the "eggshell" of the Immortal spot.

The others all squinted their eyes at the Confucianist.

Mo Ju waved his feather fan again. "Interesting. Once the Immortal spot emerged, all the heroes made their way here… this one is the grandson of the Confucianism Philosopher. He is also the Philosopher's second disciple. His name is Kong Nanfei."

But that wasn't the whole picture.

Mo Ju scanned the thick woods around Hidden Dragon Ridge.

He could detect Qi and blood. Apparently, there were quite a few strong practitioners lying low.

"Moo."

The sound of an ox came.

The thump of hooves followed, and a flute was soon heard.

Mo Ju paused his feather-fan waving and looked into the distance.

A black ox, which was carrying a young man, was walking up at a steady speed. The young man was gentle and elegant. He was playing a long flute and had a wooden sword at his waist.

Mo Ju's eyes suddenly narrowed when he saw the young man.

"Daoist No. 1, Li Sansi! Even he showed up?!"

Li Sansi gradually got to the "eggshell" of the Immortal spot on his black ox, following the Confucianist, Kong Nanfei.

Within roughly a two mile range of the Immortal spot, only four people managed to keep going despite the considerable pressure.

Interestingly, none of the four had taken out any Heaven Qi Plaques or Earth Qi Plaques.

They were all trying to enter the Immortal spot with their own strength alone.

…

Beiluo Lake Island.

On the patio of the second floor of White Jade City.

Ni Yu had prepared boiled green plum wine. She used a bamboo bucket scoop to cautiously pour a cup, and then handed it to Lu Fan.

"Young Master, the wine."

Ni Yu's lovely face was blushed red, and her huge eyes were staring at the chessboard. An inexplicable, terrifying pressure made it difficult for her to breathe.

Lu Fan took the cup from her with one hand, and tapped her forehead with the other. Then, he turned her back around to face the wine.

"Focus on preparing the wine. Don't look at something you're not supposed to see," he said.

"Yes."

Ni Yu was shivering a bit.

In that moment, she found the Young Master extremely intimidating. He looked at her as if he were an Immortal who was above everyone else. One single look from him made her legs turn to jelly.

Countless lines were intertwining in Lu Fan's pupils.

A corner of Lu Fan's mouth curled upward when he saw all the figures gathering at Hidden Dragon Ridge, especially the four figures inside the Spirit Pressure shield within a two mile range of the ridge.

"Venturing into the Secret Realm without Heaven Qi Plaques or Earth Qi Plaques? Are they seriously ignoring my rules?

"Interesting…"

Lu Fan took a sip of the green plum wine boiled by Ni Yu, and laughed.

"If you want to break the rules, you have to see if you're capable of doing so."

A moment later…

He picked up a black chess piece and suddenly placed it down.

Splat.

Lu Fan's Soul Strength started surging like a flood.

A chess piece fell on the image of Hidden Dragon Ridge floating above the chessboard.

The next second…

Strange things happened in front of Hidden Dragon Ridge.

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Chapter 61: THE OVERLORD FALLS TO HIS KNEES AND THE SECRET REALM IS ACTIVATED

"Rule of the Secret Realm: There are five Heaven Qi Plaques and five Earth Qi Plaques. Only those who possess the Heaven or Earth Qi Plaques have the right to access the Secret Realm."

"Rule of the Secret Realm: Outside the Secret Realm, the strength of the Spirit Pressure Barrier is 25 times stronger than the Spirit Pressure formed by 100 wisps of Spirit Qi."

This was the rule that Lu Fan had set, using 10 points of Soul Strength, when he was in the midst of creating the Secret Realm of the Hidden Dragon Ridge.

He had also let Lv Mudui spread the word about the first rule of the Secret Realm.

Everybody knew that it was impossible to enter the Secret Realm without a Heaven or Earth Qi Plaque.

So what were these four people up to?

On Beiluo Lake Island, in the patio of the second floor of White Jade City…

Lu Fan fiddled with a few chess pieces, his face void of emotion.

On the Spirit Pressure Chessboard, lines of Spirit Qi highlighted the contours of the Hidden Dragon Ridge, creating the outline of a mountain range.

A few kilometers from the confines of the barrier, four people were slowly making their way forward.

"Xiang Shaoyun… He is truly a strong-willed fellow."

A faint smile tugged at the corners of Lu Fan's mouth.

Sipping the green plum wine, Lu Fan set a black pawn on the chessboard.

At once, the winds changed. All the Spirit Pressure that had been accumulated in the Spirit Pressure Barrier was instantly released.

"I, Lu Fan, am a mild-tempered person. I shall give you a chance to challenge the rules… But if you fail, death shall await you," Lu Fan murmured to himself as if he was in deep thought.

After that, he raised his wine glass and ordered, "Ni, pour me another glass of wine."

Outside the Hidden Dragon Ridge…

Leveraging on the pressure that pervaded the space between heaven and earth, the four people were progressing slowly. They appeared to be very composed and took their time as if they were in no rush at all.

Mo Shougui was an elegant young man. He was extraordinarily handsome, with his cherry-red lips and pearly whites, and his eyes seemed to speak.

He stared at Xiang Shaoyun's back and narrowed his eyes.

Except for the Hundred Schools of Philosophy and giants in the field, Xiang Shaoyun and Li Sansi were the only people in the entire world who were capable of catching his attention.

Mo Shougui and Xiang Shaoyun were very familiar with each other. After all, the Mo family supported the aristocratic Xiang family, and it could even be said that Mo Shougui and Xiang Shaoyun had grown up together.

Before the age of ten, Mo Shougui had spent his life living in Xiang Shaoyun's shadow. But after he had turned ten, Mo Shougui was no longer willing to be overshadowed. He left for the West County and paid a visit to the Hundred Schools of Philosophy, where he picked up the schools' specialties. As a result of his efforts, he finally came to be of equal standing as Xiang Shaoyun, where the most outstanding heroes were concerned.

Just as Mo Shougui was staring at Xiang Shaoyun, his facial expression changed. The gigantic "eggshell" of the Immortal spot quivered slightly, and a stream of pale blue air seemed to spurt out of it.

"What is that?"

Mo Shougui took a deep breath. While he had covered nearly every place on earth and learned the specialties of the Hundred Schools of Philosophy, he had never encountered anything like this before.

Could this be… the legendary Immortal encounter?

Li Sansi, who was riding a black ox, raised his eyebrows too. With his white robes fluttering in the wind, he appeared to be a little astonished and a little curious.

On the other hand, Xiang Shaoyun was ecstatic.

It was Spirit Qi, indeed!

One, two, three…

He did a quick count. On cursory examination, there were easily a thousand wisps of Spirit Qi!

If he could absorb all the Spirit Qi, his skills would surely be capable of breaking the shackles that presently bind him!

Kong Nanfei, who was carrying the book box, wiped the beads of sweat off his forehead. He steeled his gaze and said, "His Majesty and Mentor were right. Such mysterious things… do exist in this world! Spirit Qi from heaven and earth… This will change the structure of everything on earth."

The four of them continued to look on, but this time, their steps hastened.

None of them had obtained a Heaven or Earth Qi Plaque, but this was mainly because they all had the intention of competing against one another.

Xiang Shaoyun took another step. Finally, he was within 500 meters of the Spirit Pressure Barrier.

Similarly, Mo Shougui and Kong Nanfei withstood the immense pressure to enter the area.

As for Li Sansi, he took an alternative approach. To one's surprise, he never dismounted the ox. Instead, he carried on under the pressure, all while riding his black ox.

In the space between heaven and earth, the crisp sound of a chess piece being placed on a chessboard resounded.

In the next moment…

All of a sudden, intangible ripples and blasts of air spread from within the Spirit Pressure Barrier.

Pfft!

Upon taking a direct hit from the blast of air to his muscular body, Xiang Shaoyun grew with rage and let out an explosive roar!

Unusual sounds could be heard from every inch of his body, as though the blast of air had been released into a gushing river. Xiang Shaoyun had become as stalwart as a demon.

His body leaned forward, but he remained rooted to the ground, his eyes bloodshot.

"The Mighty Pressure of an Immortal?"

"Nobody can get in my way of obtaining an Immortal encounter!" Xiang Shaoyun let out a deep growl, like that of a beast.

As a prodigy, he had been able to destroy a Grandmaster at the age of six, become a Five Resonance Grandmaster at the age of ten, and developed a reputation of being virtually invincible by the age of fifteen.

He was engaged in a relentless pursuit of constant breakthroughs, often challenging the very limits of martial arts.

Following Lu Fan's placement of another chess piece across space, the Spirit Pressure of the barrier erupted entirely.

The strength of the Spirit Pressure was 25 times stronger than the Spirit Pressure formed by 100 wisps of Spirit Qi—that was equivalent to the total Spirit Pressure of five consecutive black pawns placed by Lu Fan.

This was definitely too powerful for any ordinary person to withstand.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Xiang Shaoyun's legs penetrated the ground, giving rise to cracks in the earth's surface. Despite this, he remained standing, refusing to let himself be sent flying by the immense Spirit Pressure.

On the other side…

Mo Shougui had also encountered this immense pressure.

The sword at his waist flew straight into the air, before plummeting to the ground.

Yet, as a result of the emerging pressure, the blade of the sword had been bent so much that it was on the verge of breaking.

He did not expect this Immortal spot to explode in such a horrifying manner so abruptly!

Mo Shougui was sweating buckets. He raised his head to look into the Spirit Pressure "eggshell."

Suddenly, he discovered a faint human silhouette on the surface of the "eggshell." The eyes of the silhouette were attached to the "eggshell," and they stared dully through the surface.

There was… a person in the Immortal spot?!

Mo Shougui froze.

Alas… the Spirit Pressure exploded once again.

Pfft.

Mo Shougui spat a mouthful of blood before collapsing to the ground.

With his face still stuck to the ground, he let out a roar of defeat!

"Give me the 'Earth Qi Plaque'!"

He was terrified.

In the face of heaven's might and an undefeatable demonlike force, he had chosen to surrender.

Whoosh!

A piercing sound cut through the air.

A black plaque was tossed swiftly by one of the masters from the Mo family. The plaque flew through the air at an incredible speed and landed beside Mo Shougui.

Mo Shougui grabbed the Earth Qi Plaque.

Boom!

At once, with the sudden disappearance of the excruciating pressure, he felt an acute sense of relief, akin to how fish must feel in the vast sea and birds in the boundless sky.

Firmly gripping the Earth Qi Plaque in his hands, Mo Shougui looked toward that "eggshell," the fire in his eyes burning brighter and brighter.

On the other side…

Li Sansi was in a very sorry state.

As soon as the immense Spirit Pressure had emerged, his black ox had crouched immediately, causing him to lose his balance and tragically fall onto the ground.

Shortly after that, the horrifying pressure had held him down to the point that his organs were on the verge of repositioning themselves in his body.

Just then, he drew the wooden sword he kept at his waist and summoned every ounce of his Qi and blood in an attempt to go against the pressure. But alas, he still failed to withstand the immense pressure.

As such, Li Sansi had no choice but to surrender, and he did so with one final roar of defeat. Under such dire circumstances, he had no consideration for upholding his elegant image.

If he had not chosen to surrender, there was a real possibility that he could have been crushed alive by the immense pressure.

A few kilometers away…

A Daoist nun clad in Daoist robes descended from the sky. Upon hearing Li Sansi's sorry screams, she expressionlessly tossed out a White Jade Plaque and a Heaven Qi Plaque.

Many of those in the vicinity trembled slightly upon seeing the Daoist nun.

This Daoist nun was none other than Li Sansi's biological sister—Daoist the Second, Li Sansui*.

However, the Daoist nun, Li Sansui, did not like her name, so she preferred others to address her by her Daoist monastic name, Mo Chou.

Scholar Kong Nanfei was begging for help too.

In fact, he had begun to beg for help much earlier than Li Sansi and Mo Shougui.

As soon as the Spirit Pressure appeared, he had called out instantly. In response to this, Mo Tianyu's silhouette had appeared to throw out the Heaven Qi Plaque.

The three of them, who had each gotten hold of a Qi Plaque, no longer felt any pressure. However, their hearts were now more unsettled than ever.

This Secret Realm of the Immortal spot… was truly different from the nonsense fabricated by the Yinyang School. Now, this was the real deal!

That mighty pressure from earlier had given them all a taste of death.

Presently, Xiang Shaoyun was the last man standing—the only one of them who still bore the pressure based on his solo efforts.

With rapid breaths, everyone stared at Xiang Shaoyun, who was shivering from head to toe, his legs sinking in deep mud.

The Western Liang generals were ecstatic—this was their Overlord, indeed!

Their invincible Overlord!

On Beiluo Lake Island…

"This is interesting. Previously on the Dao Impartment Platform, you had a knack for shouldering everything too. Since you like that so much, let's see how long you can persist," Lu Fan remarked, before taking another swig of the green plum wine.

Subsequently, he set another chess piece down on the Spirit Pressure Chessboard, thereby triggering another turbulence on the roof of the pavilion.

Ripples appeared on the surface of Beiluo Lake.

At the Hidden Dragon Ridge, before the Spirit Pressure Barrier…

Pfft.

Xiang Shaoyun's pupils were dilated, and blood was flowing steadily from his nose and mouth. Bearing the weight of a mountain, the enormous Spirit Pressure threatened to crush him flat.

Gradually, he was bending at the waist, and his knees were close to giving in as they quivered intensely under the pressure.

Bang!

Xiang Shaoyun had finally reached his limits; he could no longer withstand the heavy weight of the pressure. He let out a low rumble as his knees crashed toward the ground, causing fissures to form in the earth.

In this instant, all of heaven and earth seemed to have become completely still. It was as if time had stopped.

Not a single sound could be heard for a few kilometers.

Everyone was stunned.

The Overlord… had fallen to his knees.

A feminine silhouette emerged from the crowd, her tulle skirt flowing behind her. She appeared to be visibly worried and upset.

"Shaoyun!"

Luo Mingsang made use of every bit of her Qi and blood to produce a Heaven Qi Plaque.

With his head lowered in shame, Xiang Shaoyun raised his hands immediately to catch the plaque.

At once, all the pressure on his body melted away.

Despite this, Xiang Shaoyun was still in a bit of a trance, after what he had just been through.

On Lake Island…

Lu Fan leaned against his wheelchair lazily, swirling a bronze cup in his hand.

"You still went down on your knees, after all… I suppose this marks the end of the appetiser. It's now time for serious business. I hope… heroes like you won't disappoint me," Lu Fan said with a chuckle.

Instead of placing another chess piece on the board, he set his bronze cup down and used his slender index finger to gently tap on the Spirit Pressure Barrier reflected on the chessboard.

"Bam."

At the Hidden Dragon Ridge…

When everyone was appalled by the Overlord's decision to go down on his knees, the giant Spirit Pressure Barrier shattered in a flash, without any warning!

It burst as if it were an iridescent bubble that had been punctured by someone's finger!

In the blink of an eye, a fierce gale came on. This was followed by the appearance of an unbridled but rejuvenating stream of air.

Against the howling wind, the people raised their hands to shield their eyes. Faintly, they could see a majestic underground palace materializing right before them!

The Secret Realm of Immortal encounters… had been activated!

Literally translates to "three-year-old Li."

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Chapter 62: INSIDE THE IMMORTAL PALACE, OUTSIDE THE IMMORTAL PALACE

The Secret Realm of Immortal encounters… was about to be opened!

Everyone was astounded.

As bubbles started to dry out under the sun, powerful, surging airflow began to intertwine, covering every corner of the Hidden Dragon Ridge.

The howling wind was so strong that the trees in the mountain forest swayed, startling the birds that resided there.

No one could open their eyes, not even the warriors who were known for their strong Qi and blood.

A fierce gale sprang up, and dark clouds seemed to engulf every inch of the sky.

Everyone stood with bated breath.

Xiang Shaoyun got to his feet. He stared at the freshly burst bubble and saw in it a gradually forming Immortal Palace, which was surrounded by a divine aura. Upon seeing this, his heart grew heavy.

Xiang Shaoyun had to admit that Immortals were very strong indeed. His past two encounters with Immortals had ended badly, and that made him understand that currently, he was not qualified to compete against Immortals.

Nevertheless, it was precisely this that brought out the fight in Xiang Shaoyun.

Ever since he had gotten to the Great Grandmaster stage in his cultivation journey, he had lost sight of his goals. The appearance of Immortals in the present thus offered him a new window of opportunity.

Sooner or later, someday…

He will be qualified to talk to an Immortal on the same level!

Li Sansi, Kong Nanfei, and Mo Shougui closely stared at the underground palace, which had risen following the burst of the bubble.

Each of the pale blue airflows that revolved around the palace seemed to be full of wisdom. These airflows resembled elves that hovered between heaven and earth.

"What exactly…is this?"

Li Sansi, who was dressed entirely in white, was extremely puzzled.

Mo Shougui fixed his gaze on the Immortal Palace, his eyes filled with astonishment and greed.

Using his hands to support the book box on his back, Kong Nanfei took a deep breath before muttering, "According to Confucius, these pale blue airflows of wisdom are Spirit Qi. Spirit Qi from heaven and earth…is the key to breaking the shackles of martial arts and overcoming the restraints of heaven and earth."

Kong Nanfei's words brought even more shock to Li Sansi and Mo Shougui.

The immortal heritage of this underground palace must have been extremely precious to warrant such high praise from Confucius, the great philosopher who founded Confucianism.

It must be known that in the Great Zhou Dynasty, even if the whole world tried to go against the advisor, the word of the advisor was still the law.

Xiang Shaoyun remained silent. It goes without saying he knew about Spirit Qi. In fact, he knew it better than anyone else because… Spirit Qi was present in his body.

The bubbles dissolved completely.

It was as if all the violet from the sun's rays had been stripped to reflect the Immortal Palace.

Violet gas permeated the space, creating an elegant and otherworldly atmosphere.

Surrounded by Spirit Qi, the gold glazed tiles and extensive vermilion walls of the palace were glowing.

Everyone was stunned.

A few kilometers away from the Immortal Palace…

Tantai Xuan was quivering from head to toe. He stared at that Immortal Palace in disbelief, a flush rising to his cheeks.

"Immortals… Immortals really exist in this world?"

"An immortal encounter would make anyone a king among mortals!"

Tantai Xuan's gaze was filled with greed and ambition.

Mo Ju, who was gently waving a feather fan, could not believe it too. All of this… was contrary to the knowledge of the world he had accumulated over the years.

Tantai Xuan was not the only one; the mayors of the other counties and the masters from the Hundred Schools of Philosophy were just as shocked.

Lv Mudui stood on a slope for an extensive amount of time, supporting himself with a green bamboo stick. Looking at the lustrous and brilliant Immortal Palace, he smiled, as if to say everything was under control.

Proudly, he took a glance at his side. The beauty, Qianqian, was stupefied. Her eyes were wide, and her mouth was agape, revealing her luscious red lips.

The Immortal Palace was covered in Spirit Qi.

Xiang Shaoyun's gaze stiffened. He held the Qi Plaque in his hands tightly before his entire figure sprang into motion.

He wanted to be the first to snatch the opportunity to maintain possession of the Qi Plaque and enter the Immortal Palace.

The instant Xiang Shaoyun made his move, Li Sansi and the others regained consciousness and instantly followed suit.

Buzz…

All of a sudden, the Immortal Palace shook.

In the dark, immortal music seemed to linger in the air.

In the next moment…

Li Sansi, Xiang Shaoyun, and the others were extremely surprised to find their Heaven Qi Plaques sparkling. Suddenly, the plaques flew out of their hands.

They were not the only ones who experienced this.

The masters who were originally looking on in the crowd and had their hands on the Qi Plaques could no longer hide.

Their Qi Plaques were drawn by an irresistibly strong force.

In response to the force, the plaques flew straight out of their hands.

The ten Qi Plaques shone brightly and floated before the Immortal Palace.

[With all the Qi Plaques present, the Immortal Gate will now open.]

[The Land of Immortal encounters is also the spot of a hundred rotting bones. Life and death are predestined.]

All of a sudden…

Two enthralling messages, which were surrounded by a divine aura, appeared before the Immortal Palace.

Everyone craned their necks to view the messages as golden rays of light fell upon them.

In the next moment, the ten Qi Plaques spun in the air at full speed, causing the gate of the Immortal Palace to open gradually. A loud creaking sound accompanied the opening of the gates.

A horrifying suction force broke out unexpectedly.

The ten who possessed of a Qi Plaque were sucked into the Immortal Palace by the horrifying force. They had no control over their bodies.

With a roar, the gate of the Immortal Palace was once again shut.

The ten Qi Plaques shone with extreme brilliance, as though shooting stars were spread across every corner of the space between heaven and earth.

The Qi Plaques disappeared; they were once again scattered across the earth.

Everyone was stunned.

The Immortal Palace was once again tightly sealed after it had absorbed those in possession of the Qi plaques.

"Why did the Immortal Palace shut just like that?"

A few kilometers away, Tantai Xuan clenched his fists. The blood vessels in his eyes grew increasingly visible. He did not have a Qi Plaque.

Mo Ju, who was standing at the side, narrowed his eyes too.

"The Heaven and Earth Qi Plaques are scattered after they opened the Immortal Gate once. If we were to collect these Qi Plaques once again… will we be able to open the Immortal Palace once more and finally enter?"

Such an idea came to Mo Ju's mind.

Tantai Xuan took a deep breath. "So what if we'll be able to enter? Now that the Qi Plaques have been scattered everywhere again, who knows how long we'll take to find them once more!"

"Guards!"

Tantai Xuan roared.

Behind him, a general approached with great respect.

"Gather the troops!"

"Prepare the fire crossbows! Since I don't have a Qi Plaque, I shall break the Immortal Gate open by force! I'll gain access to it even if it means I'll have to sacrifice numerous lives!"

Mo Ju wrinkled his brows while waving his feather fan.

"My Lord, you cannot do that!"

Mo Ju tried to persuade Tantai Xuan. He maintained his view that it was a better idea to search for the Qi Plaques, which had been scattered everywhere, to open the Immortal Gate once more.

"It's too late… Since it has been confirmed that Immortal encounters lie within the Immortal Palace, why does it matter that we're one of the first?"

"One can only become a king amongst mortals by obtaining an Immortal encounter!"

Tantai Xuan gave Mo Ju a passing glance and paid no attention to the latter's attempts to advise him. He continued to issue orders.

Mo Ju let out a sigh. He suddenly doubted whether he had made the right decision by choosing to pledge his loyalty to the mayor of the North County, Tantai Xuan.

But it was not only Tantai Xuan.

After it had been ascertained that Immortal encounters lay within the Immortal Palace…

None of the mayors could sit still.

Some of the mayors sent their people to look for the Qi Plaques, which had been scattered throughout the earth, while others commanded their people to gather large troops. Tantai Xuan's command had taught them this.

They wanted to break open the Immortal Gate of the Immortal Palace with brute force and their human resources.

Even if it's an Immortal Palace in question, could it hold up against hundreds of thousands of troops?

On Beiluo Lake Island…

Lu Fan leaned against his wheelchair with a bronze cup in his hands. The goblet contained warm green plum wine.

He sat upright on his balcony, as the winds changed right above him.

The wind blew, causing his white robe and his hair to flutter gently along with the breeze.

He stared at the chessboard as lines began to shift up and down in his eyes.

"Upon gathering ten Qi Plaques, one will be able to open the Immortal Gate. After the gate has been opened once, the Qi Plaques shall be scattered across the earth. Things are more precious if they are available in small quantities. This way… everyone will be devoted to chasing after this Immortal encounter."

Lu Fan fiddled with the wine glass in his hands as the corners of his mouth tugged slightly upward.

Lines shifted up and down in the pupils of his eyes, signifying the ceaseless operation of Soul Strength. Through the Spirit Pressure Chessboard, he seemed to be able to view everything that had happened in the Hidden Dragon Ridge.

He heard Tantai Xuan's rant and saw the troops and arms that many of the mayors had prepared.

Lu Fan drank another mouthful of green plum wine, smirking as he shook his head.

With a change in his line of sight, he gazed at the Immortal Palace.

In the Immortal Palace…

Xiang Shaoyun, Li Sansi, Mo Shougui, and the others remained standing where they were.

Compared with the splendor of the outside, the inside of the Immortal Palace was dead silent. It was even dark and damp to some extent, and the smell of death filled the air.

Yet the Immortal Palace was very spacious, and rows of white candles could be seen everywhere. The candles were lit, and their dancing flames lit up the dark underground palace.

"This Immortal Palace… does resemble a royal cemetery."

Li Sansi said slowly, his voice echoing throughout the underground palace.

Xiang Shaoyun shot him a glance without saying anything. He furrowed his brows and looked around.

There were clearly almost a thousand wisps of Spirit Qi in the Immortal Palace. Why… was it that not a single wisp could be seen now?

Where did all of that Spirit Qi go?

"Immortal graveyard? Immortals can die too?"

Mo Shougui asked.

Kong Nanfei did not respond verbally. Instead, he took out a metal compass from his book box.

Even after he set the compass on the floor, the compass failed to measure anything.

"This Immortal Palace is too strange…" Kong Nanfei took a deep breath.

On the other hand, Mo Shougui held onto his sword and surveyed his surroundings, squinting his eyes.

"Do you think this Immortal Palace is a trap?"

"It seems as though someone is deliberately guiding us into this Immortal Palace step by step."

"Could this be… a trap set by Confucius, who colluded with the Yinyang School?"

Mo Shougui suggested. He shot a glance at Kong Nanfei, and a smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.

Kong Nanfei kept the compass and carried his book box. With a beaming smile, he looked at Mo Shougui and said, "You know too much."

"Shut up."

Suddenly…

From afar, Xiang Shaoyun spoke indifferently.

Mo Shougui still had something to say, but the atmosphere within the Immortal Palace had abruptly changed.

With a buzzing sound, the rows of white candles and their dancing flames…

automatically turned green.

On Lake Island…

Reflected in Lu Fan's eyes were the respective positions of the ten people who possessed Qi Plaques and were now inside the Immortal Palace.

"The first stage in the setup of the Secret Realm is the Grave of an Ancient Qi Practitioner."

"Immortal encounter, Immortal encounter… Since it's an Immortal encounter, I can't let all of you obtain it so easily, of course."

"There is Spirit Qi in the grave. The Spirit Qi will turn into ghosts, and the one who successfully kills these ghosts shall be able to take a Spirit Qi bath…"

"Furthermore… the duplicate version of the emperor should be regaining consciousness by now…"

Lu Fan mumbled before downing another mouthful of wine and chuckling.

"Everything is predestined."

Lu Fan placed a white pawn on the chessboard.

Right as the white pawn was set down…

In the depths of the Immortal Palace at the Hidden Dragon Ridge…

A pair of eyes that had been tightly shut for eons suddenly flew open.

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Chapter 63: Heaven and Earth Are Ruthless, and Treat the Myriad Creatures as Chess Pieces

In the Immortal Palace, green candle flames were oscillating.

A cold wind seemed to be blowing over.

Xiang Shaoyun's gaze was sharp. His blood was about to boil. He was giving off a terrifying energy.

Li Sansi was holding a wooden sword.

Everyone tensed up.

Immortal encounter, immortal encounter. But an encounter would only be possible if one was alive.

The candle flames turned into a dark green in an instant, as if someone was spying on them in the dark.

The atmosphere in the Immortal Palace was very… odd.

"I think this is a setup," Mo Shougui said.

"This is not where an immortal encounter will take place at all. This is simply a burial ground. Who knows what kinds of ghosts were buried here?"

The gloomy wind and the dark green flames were extremely exotic and peculiar.

Kong Nanfei took a roll of bamboo slips from his book box. Glancing at Mo Shougui, he said, "But who told you an immortal encounter couldn't take place in a burial ground?"

Li Sansi did not meddle in the disputation between Mo Shougui and Kong Nanfei.

He looked up into the farther end of the Immortal Palace.

The two rows of dark green candle flames extended to the interior of the Immortal Palace. He could not see where they ended.

Holding the wooden sword, Li Sansi slowly walked.

"According to the design of the burial ground of typical underground palaces, after going through the gate, we'll see a narrow passage. Further down the corridor, there will be a front chamber, a middle chamber, and a rear chamber.

"The design of this Immortal Palace is even more complicated. The owner of the burial ground must have been in a high position. Otherwise, the Immortal Palace couldn't be so grand. Just watch out."

Li Sansi was not interested in the so-called immortal encounter at all. If it were not for the Daoist giants' order, he would not have bothered to come. However, by then, the current treacherous situation kind of piqued his interest.

"Whether there will be an immortal encounter or not, this trip is worth it, since we are seeing such a magnificent Immortal Palace."

Li Sansi laughed off their concerns.

How big-hearted he was.

"Fools! If this is only an average trap, how could it pose a threat to us?"

Xiang Shaoyun threw Mo Shougui a sharp glance.

Mo Shougui was speechless. He did not respond.

Suddenly, the Immortal Palace became very quiet. The four of them were going deeper inside.

"Earlier, when we came into the Immortal Palace with Qi Plaques, the others with Qi Plaques were also drawn here. However, there are only four of us now in this passage, which means there is more than one passage in this burial ground."

Looking into the dark and deep passage, Li Sansi thought for a moment.

"Go deeper. I have a feeling the immortal encounter is right in there," Xiang Shaoyun said.

They walked deeper. The dark green candle flames were oscillating.

All of a sudden…

Xiang Shaoyun, who was walking at the front, paused.

Li Sansi, Mo Shougui, and Kong Nanfei paused one after another as well.

"Listen."

Xiao Shaoyun looked serious. This Immortal Palace was too… weird.

Fortunately, they were all extremely talented men from the Great Zhou Dynasty. If they were ordinary people, they probably would have been freaking out facing this indescribable fear.

The four stood there, motionless, listening.

The dark green flames of the two rows of candles all started to flicker.

A gloomy cold wind blew over, with a low sob, a low rustle.

"Something is… coming, " Xiang Shaoyun said after breathing out.

His voice echoed in the space.

The ax on his back instantly fell into his hand.

Rustle… Rustle… Rustle…

Along the walls on either side of the passage, the dark green flames were extinguished one after another.

As the flames were extinguished, one by one, evil-looking, bizarre skinny humanoids, adhering to the walls on either side, crawled toward them at high speed.

The dark green candle flames kept dying out. And darkness was sweeping over.

With no time for discussion, the four men's Qi and blood immediately burst out.

The unusual noises of the Grandmasters' Qi and blood kept echoing in the passage.

A powerful scream came.

Xiang Shaoyun's eyes were ablaze like torches. The ax flew out at high speed. His Qi and blood vibrated. A small ghost jumping over to approach him was cleaved into half.

Dreadful energy gushed out from the cleaved ghost. Xiang Shaoyun kept throwing the ax, as several small ghosts were cleaved dead this way.

Mo Shougui, Li Sansi, and Kong Nanfei sucked the air through gritted teeth…

Because the pressure these ghosts gave them was not weaker than average, First Resonance Grandmasters at all.

However, for Xiang Shaoyun, killing One Resonance Grandmasters was as easy as cutting vegetables or cutting a melon open.

The small ghosts were all cleaved into half.

They turned into pale blue airflows of Spirit Qi, which whizzed down the passage.

Xiao Shaoyun's eyes suddenly lit up. He had a moment of clarity!

"Immortal encounter… This is the immortal encounter!"

"Interesting. To run into an immortal encounter, you must be strong enough. If you are not strong enough, even if you come to the right place, you will only lose your life!"

"Immortal encounters are for the strong!"

Xiao Shaoyun burst out laughing. "I, Xiang Shaoyun, am totally convinced by the immortal's arrangement!"

Bang!

Xiang Shaoyun's Qi became more vigorous, and his blood flowed faster. The dreadful strength of a Grandmaster was fully demonstrated in the passage.

The passage was illuminated by the pale blue airflows that came from the dead small ghosts.

The airflows were clinging around Xiang Shaoyun, and he kept breathing to take them into his Qi Core.

Looking at him doing so, Li Sansi, Mo Shougui, and Kong Nanfei's eyes twinkled.

They were not dumb. Li Sansi, Mo Shougui, and Kong Nanfei immediately realized what the so-called immortal encounter was.

They could earn themselves Spirit Qi by killing those small ghosts!

In the passage…

The overlord, waving his shield and ax and with pale blue airflows flowing around his body, looked like a god or a demon. This scene was like an unrealistic dream.

Li Sansi threw his wooden sword over lightly. It pierced through a small ghost's head. A pale blue airflow flew out immediately and wrapped around his body.

Li Sansi felt his spirits refreshed right away.

"That's good stuff! Is this the Spirit Qi of the universe?!"

He exerted the Transfusion Technique, and the Spirit Qi flowed into his body instantly. It kept flowing into his body, but unfortunately, in the end, he failed to absorb it. It simply diffused in his body.

"Am I supposed to refine the Qi using the cinnabar field?"

Seeing what Xiang Shaoyun was doing, Li Sansi was enlightened.

He threw his wooden sword over once again and killed another small ghost with three thrusts.

He drew in a Spirit Qi into his Qi Core, and it sank in there.

Bang!

Li Sansi's hair flew all over. He spat out an impure Qi.

"I felt it!"

"This turns out to be the immortal encounter! Hahaha!"

Li Sansi was flushed with excitement.

That Spirit Qi in his Qi Core made his strength soar. He felt as if he had experienced a violent storm in a dangerous environment.

The same happened to Mo Shougui and Kong Nanfei.

They were shocked. Then, after the shock, all three came to realize these seemingly dreadful small ghosts were encounters!

They could earn themselves the Spirit Qi of the universe by killing those small ghosts!

However, they realized it a little too late.

About 100 small ghosts had swarmed into the passage, which could be compared to 100 First Resonance Grandmasters.

However, almost all of them had been killed.

At the front of the passage…

Standing in the same place, Xiang Shaoyun was still waving his shield and ax, as hot steam rose from his body. He looked like a god or a demon.

There were as many as four wisps of Spirit Qi clinging around his body…

Li Sansi absorbed one wisp of Spirit Qi by killing ten small ghosts. He achieved the First Stage Qi Core.

Mo Shougui got nothing, despite killing five small ghosts.

It was the same with Kong Nanfei.

By comparison, Xiang Shaoyun killed almost 80 small ghosts and absorbed two wisps of Spirit Qi…

"The transformation rate is kind of low… No, it's because I don't have any immortal cultivation methods!"

Xiang Shaoyun lifted his head. A crazy enthusiasm flashed in his eyes.

Since this was a burial ground, there could be immortal cultivation methods among the owner's grave goods.

If he could get such a method, his success rate to refine his Spirit Qi would be hugely improved!

When he had realized this, Xiang Shaoyun did not hesitate. He suddenly sprinted out into the deeper part of the Immortal Palace.

Li Sansi opened his eyes. His hair flying, he jumped on his tiptoes and executed some acrobatic skills to follow Xiang Shaoyun.

Since there was an immortal encounter for real, he certainly would scramble for it.

Mo Shougui and Kong Nanfei also followed.

They were both proud people. So why would they be willing to lag behind?

Not far from the passage where Xiang Shaoyun and his companions were, there was another passage.

At the moment, a battle was going on in the passage as well.

However, compared to the easy battle Xiang Shaoyun and his companions faced, the battle here was much more challenging.

After all, every small ghost could be compared to a First Resonance Grandmaster, and not everyone was the overlord of the West County, for whom killing a Grandmaster was a piece of cake.

At this moment, blood was flowing everywhere in the passage.

Only three of the six candidates were still alive. The three who had survived were also drenched in blood.

Heavily injured, they sat cross-legged and took in the Spirit Qi in the passage to strengthen themselves.

"My name is Jiang Chao. I was a Qi Refiner from ancient times. My Qi Core Realm is in Great Completeness.

"I lived in the world for 500 years. I fought with the Sovereign in ancient times to suppress a rebellion. I fought the rebellion army formed by Qi Refiners in Internal Organs Realm at the cost of my life. I was buried in the Hidden Dragon Ridge.

"But why am I still alive?"

In the middle chamber of the underground palace…

A low profound voice came from the coffin placed at the center of the coffin chamber.

Creak… Creak…

In the coffin…

A stiff body sat up slowly.

Outside of the Immortal Palace…

Tantai Xuan was wearing a military uniform. Behind him, the troops stationed at the foot of the mountain had assembled.

The number of soldiers from all counties totaled 50,000. The ridge was densely packed.

Mo Ju waved his feather fan lightly. Standing behind Tantai Xuan, he let out a sigh at this sight.

"Lord, I'm afraid that is not a good idea," Mo Ju said, trying to talk him out of his plan.

However, Tantai Xuan waved his hand.

"Even if there are immortals in this world, in my opinion, they are just some strong martial arts cultivators."

"Even a Grandmaster at the peak of martial arts practice won't be able to fight 10,000 soldiers alone… No matter how strong the immortal is, even if 10,000 soldiers are not enough to deal with him, we will just send 20,000. Even if 20,000 are not enough, then we will send 100,000!

"Besides, Mo Ju!

"The imperial power is endowed by the immortal. Whether immortal encounters really exist, once Xiang Shaoyun walks out of the Immortal Palace alive, the whole world will be convinced. And I believe the immortal's existence will become the general trend… The thirteen counties' rebellion against the Great Zhou will be nothing but a joke. The family of the overlord will become the most powerful force in the world. And the world… will almost be under the Xiangs' rule!"

"How will I make that happen?!" Tantai Xuan said slowly with a sharp look.

Mo Ju opened his mouth. You made a perfect sense…

Tantai Xuan's red cape was fluttering in the wind.

Waving his flag, he mobilized his army. "Where are my heroes from the North County?!"

"Break through the Immortal Gate!"

"The first to break through the Immortal Gate will be awarded with 100,000 silver taels!" Tantai Xuan roared.

Not only Tantai Xuan but also Mayors of all counties in the Hidden Dragon Ridge area mobilized their soldiers.

These Mayors and Tantai Xuan were thinking the same thing.

The signal flag was fluttering.

The war cries were deafening, which alerted the birds living on the mountain. They crashed out of where they had been hiding.

Soldiers and generals swarmed out of different parts of the Hidden Dragon Ridge. The mountain was packed with people, like a city with dark clouds hovering above. They were rushing toward the Immortal Palace despite the pressure!

On the Lake Island…

Lu Fan was holding a bronze liquor cup. The green plum wine in the cup was tepid.

Feeling the aggregation of the Spirit Qi in his body, he felt quite pleased.

All of a sudden…

He raised his eyebrow.

Lu Fan looked at the chessboard, on which densely packed red dots were rushing at the Immortal Gate of the Hidden Dragon Ridge.

He felt he could hear the deafening war cries across the mountain.

He shook his head slightly as if he had seen this coming.

He took a sip of the tepid wine.

He murmured, "Heaven and earth are ruthless and treat the myriad creatures as chess pieces."

Holding a chess piece between two long delicate fingers, he placed it onto the chessboard decisively. With his middle finger pressed against the chess piece, he lightly pushed it forward on the chessboard.

The next moment…

The swarming red dots on the chessboard vibrated.

Ice turned into water. Snow melted.

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Chapter 64: Even If Number Counted, an Immortal Was Still an Immortal?

On Beiluo Lake Island…

Everything on the island was entirely unusual for Mo Liuqi.

This was an island full of controversies. If you say it was vibrant, there were only ten exotic chrysanthemums on the island.

If you say there was a lack of vitality, the air on the island was clean and fresh, even purer than that in those remote forests.

Mo Liuqi slowly walked by the lake. A warm, soft wind blew over, blowing his clothes. He suddenly felt refreshed.

"Beiluo… Lake Island."

Mo Liuqi slowly took the gemmed hairpin with beads off his hair. The cheap beads on the hairpin were oscillating while he was doing that.

Mo Liuqi gently caressed the name on the hairpin and then tightly grasped it.

Zhu, hold on. I promise I will go and see you alive, Mo Liuqi mumbled to himself.

In the distance…

With the sword box made of fragrant rosewood on his back, Jing Yue was lazily looking at Mo Liuqi.

Mo Liuqi was an assassin from the Mo Clan, ranked second among all assassins in the world. He was so powerful that even Jing Yue would not be a match for him.

However…

Was Jing Yue worried?

He was not worried at all, because a teenager that could be compared to the giants from the Hundred Schools was sitting right behind him.

It would be all right if Mo Liuqi were smart enough, but if he were not…

At the thought of the Young Master's bad temper, Jing Yue involuntarily wanted to whistle, to express how much he would enjoy the show.

Mo Liuqi was not bothered by Jing Yue. He looked into the distance.

There, less than a mile away, a black-robed figure was sitting cross-legged, with a dreadful butcher's knife placed on his knees.

About a mile and a half behind the figure was a woman in a white dress, also sitting cross-legged. She looked as if she was communicating with the universe.

Squinting, Mo Liuqi vaguely felt there was an energy that felt like a small snake in the air. Drawn by those two people, it was flowing into his body and accumulating in his Qi Core.

Mo Liuqi recalled Lu Fan's requirement for him. He had to achieve the Third Stage Qi Core in one day; otherwise… Otherwise only his head would be able to meet Zhu.

Thinking of this, Mo Liuqi got nervous.

He certainly did not want Zhu to see his head drenched in blood, so to survive, he must achieve the Third Stage Qi Core Realm.

"What stage is his Qi Core Realm?"

Mo Liuqi felt his head aching.

He looked back at Jing Yue, who gave him a big sunny grin.

Mo Liuqi turned his head back with a blank face…

How stupid he looked… His energy was not even as strong as Mo Liuqi's. And nothing seemed special about him at all. Mo Liuqi figured he had better ask that butcher for help instead.

Later, after jumping on his tiptoes, Mo Liuqi flew to Nie Changqing at high speed.

On the Hidden Dragon Ridge…

Outside of the Immortal Palace…

The war cries were deafening.

Tantai Xuan's red cape was fluttering in the wind. As soon as he waved the command flag in his hand, a large troop charged out towards the Immortal Palace.

Standing behind Tantai Xuan, Mo Ju's feelings were complicated.

Tantai Xuan was quite bold to give the order to ally with the Mayors of all counties and direct the large troop to attack the Immortal Palace.

However, Mo Ju always had a hunch that something terrible would happen.

Waving his feather fan and with his silk kerchief blowing in the wind, he was keeping a close eye on the Immortal Palace.

Mo Ju had to admit Tantai Xuan was right. Even as strong as Xiang Shaoyun was, he would be defeated, facing an army of 10,000 soldiers.

However…

Could humans really fight with immortals?

Despite a large number of people, an immortal was still an immortal.

Bang!

When the first soldier, motivated by the reward of 10,000 silver taels, who kept charging with a burning red face, was less than four miles away from the Immortal Palace, he felt himself under immense pressure. He could not help but bend his body and kneel on the ground. Even the ground cracked.

The other soldiers caught up with him.

There were so many of them that they looked like ants moving in groups.

However, each one of them was forced to kneel on the ground by the pressure from the Immortal Palace.

Some soldiers kept charging, stepping on the soldiers' bodies before them.

Those soldiers who came a little later showed excited faces because they found the pressure from the Immortal Palace was decreasing as more and more of them approached.

Holding the command flag, Tantai Xuan was watching, his eyes blazing with resolution.

He saw one soldier and then another, waving their long knives, break through the obstruction four miles away from the Immortal Palace and go farther.

His face lit up with joy.

"As I expected… There is nothing that an army of 10,000 soldiers cannot conquer. If there is, we'll just send an army of 20,000 or 30,000 soldiers!"

"I don't believe we can't go into the Immortal Palace at the cost of so many lives!"

Tantai Xuan's eyes were ablaze like torches. He raised the flag high.

Behind Tantai Xuan…

An elite team formed by first-class martial arts cultivators set out.

Mo Ju was shocked. So Tantai Xuan was serious. He even sent the martial arts cultivator team he spent so much resources training.

In terms of individual ability, this team might not be a match for Grandmasters. However, on the battlefield, each of them was an excellent weapon to get rid of those Grandmasters!

There were twenty members on the team. All of them were first-class martial arts cultivators handpicked by Tantai Xuan.

The twenty people, wearing high-quality armor, were running at high speed through the mountains.

They were less than four miles away from the Immortal Palace.

However, they were shocked.

The immense pressure within the four-mile range around the Immortal Palace had decreased as more people arrived.

This pressure was like a limited water source. The more people share, the less they received.

"Go! Break through the Immortal Gate!"

The leader of the team roared in a profound voice. Despite the pressure, he charged forward.

Three miles left, two miles, one mile left…

They saw the mysterious giant Immortal Gate of the underground palace shrouded in a seven-colored glow!

They untied the sticks from their backs. Then the twenty people tied their sticks together, turning them into a long thick pillar.

"Go!"

The leader growled in a deep voice.

Ten of them lifted the pillar, and the other ten stayed close to protect them. They started to charge again. There was only less than one mile left. And their target was the Immortal Gate, which was tightly shut.

Four miles away…

Tantai Xuan's red cape was blowing in the wind. He threw the flag to Mo Ju.

With a whiz, he unsheathed the long sword he had been carrying at the waist.

"The immortal… not so great!"

Tantai Xuan smiled in a low voice.

Then, he jumped down. Protected by his bodyguards, he charged towards the Immortal Gate.

The county Mayors nearby were also eager to follow him.

All of a sudden…

Everyone was slightly shocked.

They found it suddenly went dark.

Looking up, they saw that somehow the sky, which had been sunny and clear, was covered by dark clouds. It felt threatening. If those dark clouds were over a city, the city would fall apart from their pressure.

It was suffocating.

Four miles away from the Immortal Palace, the army of 10,000 soldiers suddenly paused. The excitement on their faces faded.

Tantai Xuan's elite team also suddenly felt cold energy spreading in their bodies from their soles…

Around the Immortal Palace, a pale blue airflow was moving ceaselessly.

The next moment…

It rippled and spread abruptly.

The members of the elite team all shuddered. They had planned to knock the Immortal Gate open with the pillar, but at the moment, they froze.

Puff!

All twenty people spit out blood.

They fell on the ground and could not get to their feet anymore.

Their eyeballs were almost popping out of their sockets. However, at this moment, over the Immortal Palace…

The pale blue airflows were assembling. They turned into a hand hovering over a chessboard, holding a glass chess piece.

Everyone heard a loud voice.

"Heaven and earth are ruthless and treat the myriad creatures as chess pieces."

The voice vanished.

The chess piece was placed on the chessboard.

"Pah."

This crack was the only sound left in the world.

Then…

Tantai Xuan's elite team roared in despair and fear.

In an instant, the pressure increased in intensity. Under such pressure, their bodies immediately exploded…

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Four miles away from the Immortal Palace,

All the soldiers and all the martial arts cultivators…

Bang!

Then all of them were erased from the world like melted ice. The crimson red color on the ground and the pungent smell of blood were the only remainder.

The immortal erased human lives with a chess piece. A mere thought or a simple word from him was enough to make people rise or fall.

Tantai Xuan almost went beyond that four-mile boundary. However…

Before that, within the four-mile range around the Immortal Gate, the army of almost 20,000 and the elite team he had spent so much resources to train were erased in a second.

What was left was only splashing blood, staining the ground in front of the Immortal Palace red as far as four miles.

It was as terrible as hell.

Half of Tantai Xuan's body was stained with blood. He was shaking like a leaf.

By then, there was only shock and fear in his eyes, reflecting the four-mile land covered with blood.

His knees felt weak. Pah-tah. He knelt down.

In the front chamber of the Immortal Palace…

Xiang Shaoyun, waving his shield and ax, killed the last small ghost in the front chamber. His Qi became more vigorous, and his blood flowed faster. His Qi Core was running at high speed, taking in the Spirit Qi. However, the Spirit Qi went into his body and dispersed after only one circulation.

"Damn it!"

Xiao Shaoyun threw the shield on the ground hard.

Due to the lack of immortal cultivation methods, his transformation rate for Spirit Qi was extremely low. And as time went by, it would be more and more difficult to refine Spirit Qi.

He killed all the small ghosts in the entire front chamber, but he failed to refine any of the Spirit Qi.

All of a sudden, Xiang Shaoyun looked back.

Frowning, he looked towards the exit of the Immortal Palace, as if some horrible thing was happening outside.

Li Sansi and Mo Shougui also detected something.

At that particular moment, they felt extremely cold.

"Did those people outside… Did they do anything stupid?" Mo Shougui said, squinting.

An assumption came up in his head.

"Even Xiang Shaoyun, Li Sansi, and I can't bear the pressure within two miles away from the Immortal Palace… If average martial arts cultivators tried to approach, that's almost courting death."

Xiang Shaoyun looked back. However, why would others' life or death have anything to do with him?

He laid his eyes on the stone door of the middle chamber.

Since there were no immortal cultivation methods in the front chamber, he supposed they might be in the middle chamber where the coffin was placed.

Xiang Shaoyun put his shield and ax on his strong back. Then he walked up to the stone door of the middle chamber, which was tightly shut.

He raised his hands and pressed them against the stone door.

All of a sudden…

His pupils contracted.

The stone door was suddenly broken. Dust and smoke rose from the explosion.

Xiang Shaoyun took one step back, staring at the door.

In the middle chamber, rows of white candles lit up automatically. Their dark green flames illuminated the whole chamber.

Li Sansi, Mo Shougui, and Kong Nanfei sucked the air through their gritted teeth. They herded together.

They were all staring at that middle chamber.

However, they saw…

They saw the dust disappear.

The chamber was illuminated by some dark green candle flames.

In the coffin placed in the middle chamber, they saw the figure of a skinny Daoist priest turning his head slowly.

A pair of eyes shone by the dark green candle flames…

Emitting a green light, the eyes were staring at them.

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